13th March 2016

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13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

life&living Nigeria… At the mercy of vandals

EBENEZER ADUROKIYA and TUNDE DODONDAWA report on how the actions and statements of government have fuelled pipeline vandalism and its resultant militants’ return to the creeks.

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HE current military action in the Niger Delta might have ruffled many feathers especially among communities in the area, but it was a necessary action meant to checkmate the resurgence in activities of militants and vandals of oil pipelines in the creeks.

Several weeks after the bombing of oil and gas pipelines by suspected former militants at Egwa community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, the effects are yet to subside.

Fingers were pointed at former creek warlord, Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, some hours before the bombing took place, a warrant of arrest was issued on him by a Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged N34 billion money laundering matter. But the former militant was quick to deny his involvement or complicity in the economic sabotage, alleging that his traducers, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta and Bayelsa states, masterminded the bombings in order to set him against the Federal Government which

he is perceived not to be supporting.

Similar defence on his behalf has emerged from his Ijaw kinsmen in the the Niger Delta. They have all pointed fingers at an Itsekiri chief, Ayirimi Emami, a new entrant to the APC family and ex-militant, “General Africa” for allegedly sponsoring miscreants to blow up oil pipelines in the creeks in order to nail Tompolo.

Keen watchers of events preceding the pipeline blow-up in January had envisaged that there might be a resurgence of the economic crime given threats emanating prior to the 2015 general elections. There were threats from several individuals and interest groups from the Niger Delta region to return to the creeks if the then President Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election. The fears of the groups and individuals were based on the possible revocation of pipelines surveillance contracts, stoppage of the Amnesty programme and other subsisting economic interests by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Some statements also credited to the president at some

functions after coming into power, watchers believed, gave credence to the fears of the people of the region. For instance, President Buhari was credited with a statement that it was just natural for him to focus dividends of democracy on parts of the country that voted massively for him than other areas that did otherwise. Most Niger Deltans did not take this statement lightly since then, labelling it jaundiced and un-presidential.

One of the probable reasons for blowing up oil pipelines, some analysts believe, is due to what some have dubbed “business interest” as it was gathered that insolvent contractors in the region might have been responsible for the crime.

A commissioner on the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas (DESOPADEC) and Fieowei of OgbeIjoh, Warri kingdom, Chief Favour Ogbemyirene, while buttressing this claim in an interview with journalists, Continues pg 3

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life&living

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

‘Politics of who gets pipeline contract caused bombings’

Continued from pg 2 said “I think people are benefitting from it, particularly some business interests and some unscrupulous elements within the NNPC and its subsidiaries.”

According to him, “the business interests engage criminals to do the act and they get the repairs. This is something that had been recurrent these past years.”

Besides the above conjectures, amid the fact that illegalities such as oil bunkering, crude oil theft and operation of illegal refineries and the like had not really subsided in the region even when the initial perpetrators were lavished with mouthwatery contracts to protect oil pipelines in the creeks, the fierce battle among bidders after the end of the initial contract in 2015 over who-gets-what could be regarded as

one of the immediate causes of the January bombings.

National coordinator of the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP), Oghenejabor Ikimi, had identified the battle among Tompolo, Ayirimi and other former militants to outwit one another in grabbing a new contract for pipeline surveillance as a veritable reason the pipeline blow-up was perpetrated.

“Politics of who to and who not to be re-awarded with the juicy contract of safeguarding our oil and gas pipelines could have prompted the bombings.

“Some ex-militants in the Niger Delta region had, before the revocation, frowned on the idea of awarding the contract of safeguarding our oil and gas pipelines to an ex-militant (Tompolo) as opposed to a collection of ex-militants.

“Also, the recent repudiation of the above contract by the Federal Government did not also help matters as some ex-militants had frowned on the move.

“It is the space created above that some disgruntled criminal elements within the region have now explored to the detriment of our nation,” the Warri-based human rights activist said.

Condemnations, from both local and international spheres, have trailed the renewed bombings of pipelines in the Niger Delta. It was a bad omen, and one destruction too many perhaps, for a country grappling with economic challenges caused by the fall in the prices of crude oil at the global market.

The seriousness of the economic sabotage was evidenced by the swift visitations of the Minister of Defence, General

Monsur Mohammed Dan-Ali (rtd) and the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Abayomi Olonishakin, to Egwa Creek to assess the degree of destruction done to the pipelines which has led to the shutdown of the Port-Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.

Speaking on the bombings, the minister said: “Improvised Explosive Device (IED) aided the act, well arranged. You can see the magnitude of the damage. It was wellplanned. This has to be taken care of by members of the armed forces. We have to intensify patrol.”

The immediate effect was the shutting down of the Port-Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, the bombed pipelines being the ones supplying crude oil to them.

Besides the economic loss to the state, in terms of revenue allocation, commercial activities in Gbaramatu kingdom have been greatly affected. Till date, soldiers are keeping surveillance of oil and gas pipelines in the creeks. The implication of the above is the fleeing of many natives from their homes to safer climes even as soldiers intensify their search for culprits of pipeline vandalism.

Feelers from Gbaramatu kingdom, particularly Egwa community, Okerenkoko and Oporoza, revealed that petty business transaction had taken flight as traders in the communities had fled for dear lives.

Many youths, for fear of arrest also, had taken cover in the deep creeks or in Warri and neighbouring towns. Many former militants and their allies, it was gathered, had gone underground for fear of arrest as soldiers continue to comb the creeks in connection with the pipeline bombings.

It was gathered that markets no longer hold, particularly the popular market that holds every Friday at Oporoza, country home of Tompolo, for fear of the unknown.

For instance, members of the JTF were said to have, with two gunboats and a flying boat, stormed Sokobolou community in Ogulagha kingdom of Burutu Local Government Area. As a result, many villagers were said to have fled into the deep of the creeks to escape arrests.

Most public schools have been closed down owing to the anxiety in the air, as the area has been described as a ghost town! Parents are said to have stopped their children from attending classes.

It was gathered that in Gbaramatu kingdom, the only two secondary schools located at Oporoza and Okerenkoko are under lock and keys. Only a few young boys and a few old men and women are said to be keeping the village alive. Comrade David Saturday, who spoke with Sunday Tribune from Oporoza, decried the privation and trepidation experienced by the remaining villagers.

Comrade Saturday, who is the National President of the National Association of Izon-Ebe Students, said: “No market, no schools; many people have dashed to Warri. Schools at Oporoza are no longer functioning.

“Our children can no longer go to school.

To buy things in the market is difficult because traders can no longer bring goods from Warri since the waterways are not safe. For perishable goods that are available, they are already perishing as there Continues pg 10

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news

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Fulani herdsmen take over Agatu communities

•Launch attacks on Kogi town, kill councillor, woman •Kogi monarch raises the alarm •They massacred over 500 of my people —Mark From Johnson Babajide, Yinka Oladoyinbo and Ayodele Adesanmi With Agency Report

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MBOLDENED by their seeming free rein, Fulani herdsmen together with their cattle have taken over Agatu communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.

The Fulani herdsmen were reported to have invaded the communities about three weeks ago, killing scores and sacking about eight communities.

At Okokolo, one of the worst-hit communities, no single person, apart from the soldiers stationed at the heart of the community, was sighted in the village which used to boast of over 500 buildings.

About 80 per cent of the buildings in Okokolo as well as about 60 per cent of the buildings in another community called Aila had been completely destroyed by the invaders.

A decomposing body was seen at the Government Junior Secondary School, Okokolo, lying face down, suggesting that the person might have been hit by bullet while trying to run from danger.

Social and economic activities were absent, as all schools, health centres, worship centres including police formation were completely razed in the invasion.

What was left of the other hitherto boisterous Agatu communities of Akwu, Adagbo, Okokolo, Ugboju, Odugbeho, Ogbaulu, Egba and Obagaji was debris of the destroyed houses.

On sighting the convoy of a former Senate president, Mr David Mark, the herdsmen and their cattle retreated, only for some of them to fire gunshots at the convoy.

Speaking on the massacre during a seven-hour tour of the affected communities in company with other members of the National and State Assembly from his Benue South Senatorial district, Mark disclosed that those killed by the Fulani herdsmen were in excess of 500, describing the attacks as barbaric, wicked and inhuman.

“I’m shocked beyond words at the extent of destruction I have seen in Agatu today (Friday). This is unbelievable. It is unimaginable. Nothing whatsoever justifies this brazen act of

destruction meted out on the people of Agatu. My heart bleeds,” he said.

He remarked that the massacre could not have been accidental, but a suspected planned orchestrated genocide against his people in Agatu communities.

He called on the security operatives to do all that was needed to bring the perpetrators to justice quickly.

The former Senate presi-

dent urged the villagers not to take law into their own hands but maintain calm, even in the face of unwarranted provocation by the Fulani herdsmen.

At one of the camps for the displaced people, Mark assured them of adequate attention and tasked them not to politicise his visit.

He said the Senate had already begun inquiry into the incident with the scheduled

public hearing which he asked them to take advantage of, explaining that his visit was to get first-hand information on the tragic incident.

Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of Ayede Oke-Agi Amuro in Mopamuro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oba Matthew Obasa, has decried alleged killing of farmers in Amuro communities by herdsmen.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Saturday, the monarch alleged that an ex-councillor in the council, Mr Paul Oluwole, was murdered on Thursday morning on his way to farm by the herdsmen.

Obasa, who described the incident as unfortunate, said the councillor was shot and killed at close range by two herdsmen.

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, admiring one of the dresses produced for him by an Aba, Abia State, based designer and chief executive Officer of AIDEC Designs Limited, Mr Adiele Ekeke, in Abuja, on Saturday.

He disclosed that it was not the first time the herdsmen would kill and maim people in the town and neighbouring communities on their farm for no just cause.

“Another woman, who was returning home from farm with her baby on her back was raped and had her hands and breast cut off.

“Our lives and the entire community are not safe from the hand of these evil men, as they go about with guns and other weapons.

“My people can no longer go about their farming activities because of the fear of being attacked by these deadly herdsmen.

“We are calling on government and all security agencies to come to our rescue in Mopamuro as the situation has already gone out of hand,” he cried out.

The monarch urged the Inspector General of Police and the Police Commissioner in Kogi State to ensure that the perpetrators of the crimes were brought to justice.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Williams Anya, said the police were not aware of the incidents but promised that the matter would be investigated.

Military launches attacks on Boko Haram Kills 21, rescues 122 hostages THE military, on Saturday, announced that it launched a series of attacks on the Boko Haram group, killing a total of 21 of the insurgents and rescuing over 122 people kept as hostages by the group.

According to a statement by the acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, troops from various battalions launched the attacks in Borno State.

“The clearance operations of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists is gaining momentum in the various axis of the theatre, especially in 7 Division area of re-

sponsibility. Within the last 48 hours, the troops were able to clear Boko Haram camps, killed many of the terrorists and recovered vehicles, weapons, equipment and rescued persons.

“The troops of 151 Task Force Battalion have cleared terrorists hideouts in Izza and eight surrounding villages. Similarly, troops of 121 Task Force Battalion deployed at Pulka came under attack from suspected Boko Haram terrorists fanning out of Sambisa forest to escape sustained aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force pilots.

“The troops successfully repelled the attack by killing 17 Boko Haram terrorists and also recovered 12 AK-47 rifles, six AK-47 rifle magazines, one General Purpose Machine Gun, one Brownie Machine Gun, one Toyota Hilux vehicle, a 60mm mortar tube, four pieces of 60mm mortar bombs, one belt of 12.5mm ammunition and nine belts of 12.7mm (NATO) ammunition,” the statement said.

According to Colonel Usman, “troops of 114 Task Force Battalion while on patrol along Bitta-PridangManawashe axis, rescued 95

persons suspected to have escaped from Madube and Shuwari general area. The rescued persons are being screened and profiled.

“Troops of 115 Task Force Battalion, accompanied by some members of the vigilance group in their area, also conducted patrol to Dogwaba, Dutse, Mayolarde, Musa A, B and C villages without any contact with terrorists. They have however continued to dominate the area and make it secure.

“Similarly, troops of 117 Task Force Battalion also conducted another patrol around Mildo, Vapura,

15 escape death as boat capsizes in Lagos O lalekan O labulo W ith A gency R eport FIFTEEN people narrowly escaped death around Tin Can Port in Apapa area of Lagos State as a boat capsized late on Friday night.

The driver of the boat sustained injuries, but was

rescued along with the 15 passengers in the boat by the emergency workers who arrived at the scene.

The boat was one of the few used by workers and traders to cross from one side of the sea to another.

The wooden boat was reportedly swayed by the ef-

fect of a bigger boat which passed by it, causing the resulting wave to be turbulent.

The South-West spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident to Sunday Tribune.

He said it was only the

driver that got injured, as the rest escaped death unscathed, while the driver refused to be treated and opted to treat himself.

He added that the passengers’ adherence to state government’s directive on compulsory use of life jackets saved their lives.

Mildo, Shelmi, Gubla, Dar and Hyambula settlements.

In the process, they also rescued 27 persons who escaped from Mayo Ali village.

One of the female rescued persons gave birth to a baby boy a few minutes after the rescue. Both mother and child are being cared for at the unit’s Regimental Aid Post and are doing fine.

“On their part, 7 Division Garrison, in conjunction with Civilian Joint Task Force, have arrested one Mallam Ashiru Zarami at Mainok, a suspected Boko Haram terrorists logistic officer at Mainok with food items. The suspect has been handed over to the Joint Intelligence Processing Centre.

“In a related development, another suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Mallam Abubakar Kime, voluntarily handed over himself to troops and Civilian JTF at Benisheikh, Borno State. On interrogation, he claimed to have escaped from Kalmari village close to Alagarno forest.”

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news

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

NDLEA uncovers Meth, hard drug, laboratory Arrests 4 Nigerians, 4 Mexicans Shola Adekola - Lagos

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HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Saturday, said it discovered a ‘super laboratory’ for the production of methamphetamine at Asaba in Delta State.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, in Lagos State.

Methamphetamine is a hard drug that is similar to cocaine.

According to the statement, those arrested include four Nigerians believed to be joint owners of the said laboratory and four Mexicans, who are methamphetamine production experts, hired as technical partners.

“NDLEA has discovered a super methamphetamine laboratory and dislodged a major drug trafficking organisations in the country.

“Officials of the Special Enforcement Team (SET) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made a significant breakthrough with the discovery

of a super laboratory for the illicit production of methamphetamine.

“This super methamphetamine laboratory similar to the ones found in Mexico is the first to be discovered in the country,” the statement said.

The statement quoted the NDLEA chairman, Mr

Muhammad Abdallah, as saying that the laboratory had the capacity of producing between 3,000 kilogrammes and 4,000 kilogrammes of methamphetamine per production cycle.

“A significant feature of this laboratory is that, the production process is more

technical and sophisticated because it uses the synthesis method of methamphetamine production.

“All the principal actors linked to this illicit act were apprehended in a simultaneous raid on members of the drug syndicate in Lagos, Obosi in Anambra and

at the laboratory in Asaba, Delta,” he said.

Abdallah described the operation that led to the arrest of the suspects as a technically undercover assignment, adding that it also led to the dismantling of a drug trafficking organisation.

THE SUSPECTS

Castillo Barraza Cristobal

Cervantos Madrid Jose Bruno

Chibi Aruh

Ejike Agusi William

Rivas Ruiz Pastiano

Partida Gonzalez Pedro

Felix Ibru, ex-Delta State governor, dies at 80

•Okowa condoles with family •His death, a rude shock —UPU From Bola Badmus and Ebenezer Adurokiya FORMER Delta State governor and ex-president of the Urhobo Progressives Union, Chief Felix Ibru, is dead. He was aged 80.

Ibru, who was a Third Republic senator and business guru, was said to have passed on during a brief illness.

It was gathered that Ibru, who was from the famous Ibru clan of Delta State, died in his Ikeja GRA residence in Lagos.

The late former governor was born on December 7, 1935 at Agbarha-Otor in the Ughelli North Local Government area of Delta State.

He was the governor of Delta State from 1992 to 1993 and later became a senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2003 and served for only one term.

Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has commiserated with the family over the death of the former governor.

Okowa, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu,

described the late Senator Ibru as a patriot and political icon who led the state in its embryonic stage.

The governor said Senator Ibru would be missed by all whose lives he touched in many diverse ways in his very fulfilled and achievements-laden life.

He described Senator Ibru as a renowned politician, businessman and a highly revered octogenarian and among the very special people who made very significant and indel-

ible contributions to their countries and humanity.

Okowa joined his family, friends, associates, and fans across the world in mourning the exit of a legend and in giving thanks to God for his glorious life of service to Delta State, Nigeria and mankind at large.

On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I mourn the exit of a legend, political titan and first civilian governor of Delta State, Olorogun Senator Felix Ovuodoroye

Ibru.

“Senator Ibru’s lifelong dedication and indefatigable commitment to serving the people of Delta State as well as the Urhobos worldwide where he served them meritoriously as Senator and as President of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) will be sorely missed,” he said.

In a related development, the umbrella body of the Urhobo nation, the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU)

has described the death of the former governor as a rude shock.

“A good heart has stopped beating; a good soul ascended to Heaven.

“We part with our beloved former President General of UPU, first executive governor of Delta State, Olorogun Felix Ibru, in pain.

“May God give the family the fortitude to bear the loss,” the public relations officer of the UPU interim committee, Chief Josiah Ntekume, said.

Ekiti APC senatorial candidate, Olofin, dies in auto crash Sam Nwaoko - Ado-Ekiti THE senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 general polls in Ekiti State, Mr Gbega Olofin, is dead.

Olofin died in a motor accident along Owo-Benin road at about 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, while returning to his base in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He was said to have been travelling alone in his Pathfinder Jeep when the

accident happened.

His remains, according to a source, had been deposited at the morgue of Gabriel Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

The deceased was in Ekiti for continuation of his political career, where he received some defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his country home into APC on behalf of the State Working Committee on Thursday.

Olofin, a native of Igede Ekiti, in Irepodun/Ifelo-

dun Local Government, was a university teacher, before he got a job with an oil company while also handling various consultancy jobs for corporate organisations in the oil sector.

The politician bagged his Bachelor Degree in Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

The deceased, who was into private business, veered into politics on the platform of the PDP, before defecting to the APC

with his political mentor and former governor of the state, Mr Segun Oni, prior to the 2014 governorship elections.

He contested the senatorial election where he was defeated by the candidate of the PDP, Mrs Fatima Raji-Rasaki.

Olofin explored legal option by approaching the election petition tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti to seek the invalidation of Rasaki’s victory, which the court refused.

“In a technical undercover operation, four Mexicans were arrested in active production inside the super laboratory.

The cartel first brought two Mexican methamphetamine experts to Nigeria.

“But because of the size of the laboratory, coupled with the volume of work, two additional Mexicans were added. Our investigation revealed that a successful test production was done at the laboratory in February 2016.

“The laboratory was raided while the second production cycle was ongoing. Items recovered at the laboratory include 1.5kg of finished methamphetamine and 750 litres of liquid methamphetamine.

“Other items found in the laboratory include industrial pressure pots, gas cylinders, gas burners, facial masks and numerous chemicals. Also recovered in this operation are Toyota Tundra, Mercedes Benz Jeep ML and a Toyota Corolla car,” he said.

The agency warned that unless drastic measures were taken against the trend, the rise in super laboratories would put Nigeria on the global spotlight in methamphetamine production.

“This is because the laboratory operates at an industrial scale with a high yield of 3,000kg to 4,000kg of methamphetamine per production cycle. Nigeria methamphetamine is now competing with others in Asia and South Africa markets.

“The super laboratory does not need ephedrine because it uses the synthesis method. Drug cartels are now shifting from simple method of methamphetamine production to a more complex process.

“The discovery calls for celebration, because the operation demonstrates the capacity and preparedness of the agency to track down drug cartels, irrespective of their covert mode of operation.

“The threat posed by this laboratory is disturbing because mass production will make the drug easily available, thereby increasing the rate of drug abuse,” he said.

According to the statement, more citizens will equally be targeted by drug cartels that are searching for drug smugglers outside the country with the tendency to increase the number of Nigerians in foreign prisons, thereby affecting the image of our country.

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13 March, 2016

crimereports

Sunday Tribune

edited by Oluwatoyin Malik 0807 889 1950, 0811 695 4633 praiseboy01@gmail.com

Man who kidnapped cousin for N2.5m ransom says I did it because I hated my uncle for not settling me

By Oluwatoyin Malik

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HE saying that blood is thicker than water had no meaning to 30-year-old John Chima when he decided to abduct his cousin, 13-yearold Ijeoma Ogbonnaya, and demand N2.5 million as ransom. His belief was that it was his own way of getting back at his uncle, Mr Nwakeba Ogbonnaya, whom he felt had not treated him fairly.

But since law is no respecter of persons, Chima had been cooling his heels at the anti-kidnapping section of the Oyo Sate Police Command after he was arrested for alleged kidnapping. Crime Reports learnt that the victim’s father is the immediate younger brother of the suspect’s mother.

Briefing journalists on

Chima’s arrest last Monday, March 7, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade, said that the suspect connived with two others at large to kidnap the young girl from her father’s shop at Bodija market, Ibadan, on Monday, February 29.

The police commissioner disclosed further that a member of the kidnap gang went to the victim’s father’s shop and pretended to be a customer who needed to buy a food item.

“After the purchase, the gang member requested that the victim be allowed to assist him in carrying the bought food item to his car, which her father, Mr Ogbonnaya, obliged in good faith,” he added.

Oyebade stated further that the victim’s father became suspicious that something was amiss when he noticed that his daugh-

The suspect, John Chima ter did not return in good time. He said that Chima’s gang members called the father to inform him of his daughter’s kidnap, after which they demanded for a ransom of N2.5 million as a condition for her release.

After the report of the case at Bodija police station and its subsequent transfer to the anti-kidnapping unit, Oyebade told Crime Reports that he mandated the unit to rescue the victim and arrest

the abductors.

It was learnt that though the girl eventually escaped from his abductors, information gathered from her by the investigating team led to the eventual arrest of Chima, who was discovered to be the mastermind and the victim’s cousin.

But Chima said that he was pushed into the act because of his uncle’s refusal to establish a business for him after he had served him for a couple of years.

In an interview with Crime Reports, the suspect, who said he was a trader, stated: “It is true that I abducted my cousin.

It started as a beef between me and my uncle and in the past few years. I served him but he did not bother to settle me.

“I loved him so much that I was the one who went to pick him in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, when

Why I bought my friend’s idea to rob —Suspect A 30-year-old man, Ogunbanwo Seun, who was a member of a gang of armed robbers whose mode of operation was to trail bank customers and snatch their money at gunpoint, has said that he was pushed to crime by his friend when he could not secure employment after graduation.

Seun and two others, Adedeji Ibrahim and Alade Shitta, were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Oyo State Police Command. Recovered from the gang were two locally-made pistols, one cut-to-size single barrel gun and 10 live cartridges.

The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Leye Oyebade, had disclosed to Crime Reports during a press briefing that the suspects were picked following reliable information from strategic partners on the activities of the suspects at Dugbe area of Ibadan.

“The confessions of the robbery suspects made the operatives to extend investigation to Ijebu-Igbo and Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State where one other member of the criminal gang, Alade Shitta, was hibernating.

Other exhibits recovered from them included a Toyota 4-Runner SUV with registration number ABC 624 AH and a Toyota Carina E with registration number KS 599 AAA,” Oyebade stated further.

He enjoined bank operators to monitor bank environment to curtail the hoodlums before would they strike, while he also advised bank customers to do more of money transfer than carrying large sums of money about.

Seun (30), who confessed to the crime, claimed that he was forced to rob because he could not secure a job after he graduated from higher institution.

According to him, “I graduated from Lagos State Polytechnic in 2010.

Since then, I had been searching for a job but was not successful. It was a friend who suggested the idea of going to banks to trail customers and snatch money from them.

“The first time I joined others to do the operation, we snatched N500,000 and I was given N125,000.

“The guns recovered by the police were found in my

The suspects and the arms recovered from them possession. They were sold to me by one Alhaji Oba. Other members of our gang were Alaba and Oye. We were using three guns. The fourth person, Shola, popularly called S.O. was not following us on operations. He was just an informant. We would stay close to the bank and be monitoring customers going in and coming out.

“I also snatched a Honda Accord (End of Discussion) in January this year in Ogbomoso. The owner, a lady, parked and was discuss-

ing with a man when we accosted her and snatched the vehicle.

“My gang also stole three motorcycles at Gari Alimi at Gambari area, Ogbomoso-Ilorin Road.”

Expressing regret at his actions, Seun said: “I have destroyed my family name and even myself within the society.” He appealed to the government to forgive him, saying: “After this, they should paste my pictures everywhere. If I involve my-

self in crime again, they should just kill me.”

The second suspect, Ibrahim, also told Crime Reports: “I introduced Shola to Seun. I was into Continues pg 7

he had an accident. I paid for spinal cord test for him in Abuja, I was with him in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, and even donated blood. I expected him to reciprocate the gesture by showing love but the reverse was the case.

“He drove me away from his shop where he was selling rice and beans, after I pleaded with him to support me to be on my own. I opened a shop close to him and he was not happy with this. If I gave him money to help me buy food items from the North, he would not take it, but would help others.

“If we went to the North together, he would use his fluency in Hausa language to my disadvantage. He would not allow me to load my goods with others’ in the trailer conveying his goods, and if he did, he would tell the driver in Hausa to charge me more than others.

“Because of this, I developed hatred for him.

The hatred peaked when he went to a woman in Bodija market, Sister Nkechi, to stop supplying me rice, telling her that I was no longer with him. She was the one who had been helping me with supplies which I would pay for after selling. He was spreading negative stories about me in the market so much that I had nowhere to turn to.

People started avoiding me and I could not cope again.

This made me believe that my uncle really hated me.

“I went to my uncle and asked him to refund the money I paid for him in the hospital but he did not respond. This made me to also think of the way he maltreated others who served him. That was how I decided to abduct his daughter to trick him into parting with some money.

“I co-opted a friend, Johnbull, into my idea and we abducted my cousin on February 29. She was kept in Johnbull’s room at Apete area of Ibadan until the following day when she was released. I didn’t know my uncle would report the case to the police.”

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crimereports

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

We snatched motorbike to escape cult rivals’ chase —Suspected cultist-robbers Stories by Oluwatoyin Malik

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OME self-confessed cultists, who not only refused to take advantage of the amnesty recently granted by the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to cultists who renounced membership, but also engaged in armed robbery, were recently nabbed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Ogun State Police Command.

The arrested suspects included Ogunjinrin David (19), Mohammed Ibrahim (20), Muda Yaya (23) and Adebayo Segun (21). They were accused of snatching a Bajaj motorcycle with registration number DGB 652 UZ at gunpoint along OdeRemo road in Ogun State.

A locally-made cut-to-size gun, a live cartridge, assorted charms and the snatched motorcycle were recovered from the suspects.

Crime Reports gathered that it was during interrogation that the suspects confessed to their membership of Eiye Confraternity.

The state Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, while speaking on the suspects’ arrest during a press briefing, said that it was unfortunate that they refused to renounce their cult membership despite many members from Ijebu axis, Abeokuta, and Ewekoro who did so.

“Some of them are still recalcitrant, but I want to say we will go after cult members, smoke them out and deal with them decisively.

We will not allow them to disturb the peace and tranquility we are enjoying in the state,” Ali stated.

Below are the excerpts of Crime Reports’ interview with the suspects: Ogunjinrin David “I am a trailer mechanic. I am a member of Eiye cult.

I joined about eight months ago. I live in Imota community with my father. What

happened was that Aye cult members inflicted machete cult on my friend, Ibrahim, in Imota. We rushed him to the hospital but some of the Aye cult members traced us to the hospital.

“As a result, we took him to one of our friends, Muda, who was living in Iperu-Remo, so that Ibrahim could recuperate there. After a

couple of days, I went with Ibrahim to Imota to pick some clothes that we could use to change the ones we were wearing.

“After disembarking from the cab that took us from Iperu to Sagamu, we were waiting beside a hotel for an okada to take us to Imota when we saw about four members of Aye cult

robbery before going to prison in 2010. My arrest was because three guns were recovered from Ola, a friend whom I helped to secure the room in which the guns were found.

“Aside that, I also carried out robbery operations with other gang members in which we snatched three vehicles in Ogbomoso. Then, we were a five-member gang

escape from that vicinity.

“Unfortunately, the okada rider called some people ahead of us to inform them that his bike had been snatched. As we got to a junction, okada riders blocked us. They beat us before handing us over to the police. My bird name in the cult is BlackBerry.”

Ibrahim Mohammed “I am from Kwara State but live in Imota, Ogun State. I joined Eiye cult about six months ago. The gun we used to snatch an okada from its rider was owned by Muda. On the day I was attacked by the rival cultists, I left a naming ceremony for home. I was cooking my dinner when they invaded my residence and started inflicting machete cuts on me. My bird name is Silver Bird.”

Mudashiru Yaya “I work in a bakery. I live in Iperu Remo. The gun belonged to my late brother, Olamilekan. He was an Eiye cult member and was killed by Aye cult members in 2015. I am also an Eiye cult member;

The suspects

I joined in 2015. My bird name is Karakara.

“It is true Ibrahim was brought to my place by David to recuperate. Though they told me that they wanted to go to Imota to pick their clothes, I had gone to work when they left, taking my brother’s gun along. I got to know about it when I returned and one Segun told me about it.

“I reprimanded him for allowing them to take the gun, knowing that it was incriminating. Segun said he made attempts to reach them on phone but their lines were not going through. It was the same night that David came with the police to arrest me.”

Adebayo Segun “I am from Akure in Ondo State but I live in Imota, Ogun State. I am a tailor by profession. I am also an Eiye cult member.

I joined in October 2015.

My bird name is Kiwi. I was introduced to cultism by one Efrebor who is late.

I regret joining the cult. I was lured into it under the pretence that they wanted to give me clothes to sew.”

Suspected car thief nabbed at ceremony says I only came to pick pockets TWO suspected members of a gang whose stock- intrade was to move from one location to the other, especially during ceremonies, to steal cars and pick pockets, recently met their Waterloo in Ibadan, Oyo State, after they were found trying to remove the car of a guest at a party.

The suspects were Bello Bolaji of Abebi area and Adeolu Babatunde of Labiran area, Ibadan. Bolaji however claimed that he was only a pickpocket.

The gang’s method, according to the state police boss, Leye Oyebade, was to use fabricated master keys that could open any

Bello Bolaji (right) and Adeolu Babatunde car that took their fancy.

But they were caught in the act on Sunday, March 6, at bout 5.30 p.m. when they were about to drive a

‘Why I bought my friend’s idea to rob’ Continued from pg 6

approaching us. They pointed at us, prompting our running into the bush.

“By the time we came out later, we were very dirty. We waved down an okada rider, but he refused to pick us because we were looking very dirty.

This made us to forcefully collect the bike from him at gunpoint to enable us

using three guns. Others were Ibrahim, Ola, Kabiru and Wasiu. I was arrested, charged to court and remanded in prison. After I came out of prison, Shola called me for robbery operation but I told him I was not interested.”

The third suspect, Shitta (49), claimed that it was Ibrahim who called him in 2015 that he had a vehicle to sell. “I told him I would invite a friend, Alhaji Tosin alias Honourable.

Honourable bought the car for N500,000,” Shitta said.

Crime Reports learnt that Honourable, who is currently at large, bought the Honda car snatched at Ogbomoso and was mainly into sale of stolen or snatched cars.

The suspects were arraigned in Magistrates’ Court 2 on Wednesday, March 9 and had been remanded in Agodi Prison.

Their case was adjourned to April 13.

Toyota Camry car away at Liberty road, Odo-Ona Elewe area of Challenge, Ibadan, after they had successfully opened it.

The Commissioner of Police, who briefed journalists on the arrest of the suspect, said that they were halted in their tracks when one of the guests who noticed them raised the alarm which attracted the celebrant and other guests.

Policemen from a nearby station were reportedly alerted and they came to arrest the suspects.

The police commissioner said that the two suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation was completed.

The celebrant who craved anonymity told

Crime Reports that the suspects came to her house to operate while she was entertaining guests.

“I was given a religious title, so the first part of the celebration was in the mosque where prayers were said. Before we returned to my residence, the suspects, who had been sighted by people, were hanging around.

While guests were eating, one of them stepped out to wash his hand. In the process, he saw one of the suspects in one of the vehicles parked outside. Meanwhile, the owner of the car was inside eating.

“The man outside raised the alarm and everyone rushed out. Immediately, the two suspects mounted

the motorcycle they came on and attempted to escape, driving in a zigzag manner to escape being nabbed. But one of the guests pushed the bike and both of them fell into the gutter in front of my house.

That was how we apprehended them and called the police,” she said.

But during an interview with Crime Reports, Bolaji claimed that he was only a pickpocket, not a car thief. According to the suspect, “I don’t steal cars; I am a pickpocket. I go to any ceremony to pick pockets to feed myself.

“I was not inside the vehicle. I only came to the woman’s party to pick pockets but when I saw that the crowd was not big enough to mingle with, I decided to leave. That was when one of the guests saw me.”

The second suspect also claimed that “I am an okada rider. I picked Bolaji at Orita Challenge and he asked me to take him to Odo Ona Elewe area. He also asked me to wait so that he could call the person he came to meet. It was while he was calling that one of the guests sighted him and said he wanted to steal. I didn’t know him before that day.”

8

south-westnews

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Oyo FRSC arrests 270 traffic offenders B y Oluwatoyin Malik

Dr Gabriel Oshowole Oluyemi (right), receiving his PhD degree certificate from the Vice Chancellor, Professor Saburu Adejimi Adesanya, during the 23rd and 24th convocation ceremonies of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, held on the university campus, recently.

DSS wants to get me impeached at all costs, says Fayose Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

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KITI State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has lambasted the Department of State Services (DSS) over what he described as the illegal arrest of some public officials of the state to destabilise his government.

Governor Fayose alleged while speaking with newsmen in Ado Ekiti that the intention of the arrests was to get him impeached, saying that they had engaged a wrong customer.

Fayose said he would be a hard nut to crack for Presi-

dent Muhammadu Buhari, and lamented how the DSS had allegedly usurped the statutory roles of the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), “just because of desperation and attempt to get at me at all costs.”

Fayose said this in his official reaction to the Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo in Ado Ekiti on Friday, ordering the DSS to release a detained lawmaker, Honourable Afolabi Akanni, with immediate effect.

Aside Akanni, the Fi-

nance Commissioner, Mr Toyin Ojo, was also arrested and had since been released after interrogation.

The governor, who rapped President Buhari for allegedly aiding the Lawal Daura-led DSS to act beyond its constitutional powers, said there was no quantum of intimidation and harassment that could dissuade him from speaking on national policies that could affect the corporate existence of Nigerian citizens.

“Beyond this judgment, I have always said that the DSS are taking on more

Prevail on Aregbesola not to sack 1,083 health workers, union tells Buhari THE Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) on Saturday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State to rescind his plans to dismiss 1,083 workers of Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo.

Mr Afolabi Abiodun, the Chairman of JOHESU in Osun, made the appeal while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.

He alleged that the plans to sack the workers had reached an advanced stage, while the yet-to-be-delivered termination letters of the workers had already been written by the hospital’s management board, on the order of the governor.

Abiodun stressed that at this juncture, only Buhari’s intervention could save the situation and prevent the planned workers’ sack.

He said that the governor had already taken a position on the audit report carried out on the hospital,

which recommended that 1,083 workers of the 2,047 workforce of the hospital should be laid off.

He said that the governor jettisoned all other recommendations of the audit report but decided to stick to the recommendation on downsising the workforce.

Abiodun said that in reaction to the government’s plans, a peaceful protest was staged within the hospital premises on Wednesday.

He warned that if the workers were eventually served with the termination letters, all the workers would go on strike.

Meanwhile, the state government has debunked the claims regarding the purported plans to sack bona fide workers of LAUTECH. The Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy to the government, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, told NAN that only workers who were recruited into the hospital without the man-

datory government’s approval would be affected by the exercise.

He stressed that the state government was not interested in the sack of any of its worker.

“Government is not interested in the sack of any of its employee but rather its interest has always been how to get more people employed in the state via its job creation policy.

“But having said that, if there are any noticeable irregularities in the recruitment exercise of any government agencies, that does not mean such thing will be overlooked,’’ he said.

Okanlawon said that the report of a forensic examination carried out in LAUTECH revealed that there had been irregular recruitment in the hospital since 2012.

“It is just unfortunate for anyone to lose his job but all the same, government cannot overlook any perceptible irregularity in the process of recruitment,’’ he added.

than their brief. They have become an instrument of oppression. They are now taking up the job of the police, the EFCC and all other security agencies.

“You would recall that they were at the Akwa Ibom State lodge to harass the governor. They came to Ekiti to do the same thing.

But this Ekiti, they are taking on a wrong customer.

“Maybe they think this will make me to stop criticising the policies of the APC Buhari-led government, no.

Let me make it very clear to them that majority would have their way, minority would have their say.

“Ours is to continue to help democracy to grow and to help the average man gets dividends of democracy by keeping the government in power on its toes. Harassing me would make their government unpopular. I have said that before, an attempt to take me on would bring down their government,” he said. “”I’m entitled to my opinion, how would DSS be investigating the finances of a state, that is taking it too far, how would DSS detain somebody without a court order, and detaining him for one, two weeks.

“Anybody who is supporting this act, one day it would be your turn, it is Ekiti today. I urge all Nigerians to rise and oppose this act of oppression; this country belongs to all of us.

“It is time to stop this harassment, taking away the right of humanity, taking away the right of Nigerians, anything that would take away our rights should be confronted headlong and be stopped. When they finish with politicians, they would take on lawyers and even the journalists”, he concluded.

THE Oyo State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has arrested 270 traffic offenders between January and March for various offences in the state, 43 of whom were arraigned in a mobile court at the weekend.

This was disclosed by the sector commander, Mr Yusuff Salami, at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway where the mobile court sat to prosecute offenders.

Drivers were arraigned in the court over offences ranging from fake drivers’ licences to dangerous driving, speed violation, driving without licence, driving without using seat belt, unfilled manifest list and overloading.

Saying that the arrest of offenders was part of his command’s operational activities, Mr Salami said that the scheduled special patrol activity was backed by a mobile court sitting at the Ibadan end of the expressway to expressly apply punitive measures to serve as deterrent to others.

According to the sector commander, “the focus of the patrol is to create more awareness and arrest errant offenders who overload their vehicles, drive without valid licence, violate the use of seatbelt and engage in dangerous driving, among other offences.”

He disclosed that the activities had been ongoing in six other locations in the state including Ogbomoso, Egbeda, Eleyele, Apata, Mokola and Oluyole.

On the recalcitrant nature of most traffic offenders which had made it difficult to record significant success in traffic rule violation, the sector commander said that part of the corrective measures was the public enlightenment carried out at the mobile court, so that the offenders would not repeat the same offence.

Sheikh Muyideen Bello, Sarkin Sasa for 15th Bodija community anniversary ISLAMIC scholar, Sheik Muyideen Bello, will on Sunday deliver a keynote address at the 15th anniversary of Bodija Ojunrin Muslim community, which will hold at the Community Hall in Ibadan, Oyo State.

In a release made available to Sunday Tribune on Saturday, it stated that the celebrated cleric who is noted for his advocacy for transparency and good governance has promised to give his best at the anniversary that would also attract other prominent people in the state, adding that Sarkin Sasa will also be attending the anniversary in the capacity of a royal father.

According to the release, “the community is blessed with peace-loving and selfless people that have contributed to the development and welfare of its members in the past years.

Among some of the laudable projects that have been executed include the construction of Bodija Ojurin Muslim Community Nursery and Primary School, Bodija Ojurin Muslim Community Model College and primary health clinic.”

It said that public office holders such as Senator Adesoji Akanbi, House of Representatives member, Saheed Fijabi and member, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Olafioye among others, will be in attendance.

Organisation inaugurates emergency rescue centre in Ibadan THE Road Accident Information and Rescue Organisation, a humanitarian service outfit, on Saturday, inaugurated Emergency Rescue Information Control Centre at Ibadan Toll-Gate end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The organisation’s National Coordinator, Mr Okanlawon Bamgboye, said the centre would receive emergency calls in case of accidents on the road for immediate response.

“The centre is a control room where operators receive emergency calls from members of the public in need of assistance and immediately dispatch the information received to relevant rescue agencies.

“The centre will provide relevant information to hospitals that will treat rescued victims and have access to information about relatives.

“Our operators are trained to provide first aid advice over the phone, so that treatment of the patients can commence before hospital ambulance arrives.”

9

news

13 March, 2016

Death toll in CBN building explosion hits 3, 10 in critical condition

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HE Cross River Police Command has confirmed three persons dead, 10 in critical condition, due to Friday’s gas cylinder explosion at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Calabar.

Mr John Eluu, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), disclosed this on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Eluu said that 20 members of staff of the bank were injured in the explosion which occurred at about 11 a.m., while two others were in critical condition.

“As of yesterday, being Friday, 20 CBN staff members were injured and two were in critical condition immediately after the gas explosion.

“We have been monitoring the situation closely

and I can confirm to you that three of the victims are dead, while 10 are in critical condition. Investigation is still ongoing to unravel the cause of the explosion.

“We will continue to monitor the victims as we pray for their survival and quick recovery,” he said.

The PPRO dismissed the rumour in some quarters that the explosion was a detonated bomb blast by Boko Haram insurgents.

“I wish to say categorically that the explosion was not a bomb blast by Boko Haram insurgents as it is being rumoured in some corners.

“Our men from the Explosive Ordinance Department were on ground at the scene of the accident. Their investigation shows that it was a gas cylinder explosion from one of the units in the building that caused the blast,” he explained.

Sunday Tribune

Buhari urges universities to support fight against corruption PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged universities in Nigeria to support the Federal Government’s fight against corruption, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported.

Buhari made the call on Saturday at the 29th convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar.

Represented by Professor Akanerem Essien, former Vice Chancellor, University of Uyo, President Buhari said that the fight against corruption should not be a task of the government alone, but a collective responsibility.

“As I continue the fight against corruption in the country, I want to call on universities in Nigeria to support the crusade.

“Universities are known for nurturing young vanguards; I want universities’ management to evolve the spirit of nurturing our young ones in the right track by shunning all forms of corruption,” he stated.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Calabar, Prof.

Zana Akpagu, said that 7,222 students would be awarded degrees and diplomas in the convocation which was for the 2014/2015 session.

In his speech, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Chief Emmanuel Iwuannyawu, advised the authorities to embark on large-scale farming that would engage the students in meaningful ventures after graduation.

Western Sahara: ASUU demands economic embargo against Morocco Clement Idoko-Abuja

From left, ex-officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Special Marshal, Zone RS VI, Dr Ebenezer Olusola Okebukola; National Secretary, FRSC Special Marshal, Zone RS II, Prince Tunde Ajiboye, and State Secretary, FRSC Special Marshal RS II 3, Oyo State, Engineer Akin Ogunlela, during the official opening ceremony of the Emergency Rescue Information Control Centre (ERICC), held at the Federal Ministry of Works building, former Toll Gate office Plaza, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan, on Saturday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN.

Traders urge Ambode to reopen Mile 12 market YAM traders at Mile 12 market in Lagos, on Saturday, appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to reopen the market in order to save their businesses from ruin.

Some of the yam traders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that their investments in the business were at the verge of total ruin.

They said that since the governor announced the closure of the market on March 4, their goods in the market were all going bad.

It will be recalled that Ambode ordered the closure of the market following the violence that erupted in the market on March 3 and March 4.

Mrs Adunni Taiwo, in her reaction, regretted investing huge amount of money to buy yams all the way from the North, only to experience the market closure.

“Had I known, I would have just gone to buy yams from Abuja this time. The money I used to trade was borrowed and I’m expected to pay back with interest.

“I want to beg our responsible governor to help us and consider the losses we

have incurred since. We regret what has happened,’’ she said.

Taiwo said that a truck of yams had been stationary at Ibafo Area, Ogun State, since the market closure, without a place to offload or sell them.

According to her, many of the yams had spoilt in the vehicle as a result of heat.

Another yam seller, who simply identified herself as Mama Tobi, said that she had run into great loss as many of her yams had wasted.

According to her, the trucks conveying their yams

were parked under a tree along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“We have engaged the service of some local security agents to help us watch over the vehicles,” she stated.

According to her, yams loaded in nothing less than 15 trucks of yams will would go to waste, as these vehicles were parked far from the market due to the closure of the market.

Another yam seller, who referred to herself as Iya Deyemi said, “only God can grant us reprieve from these losses. It is saddening that what we purchased with our

hard-earned money is going bad before our eyes. We want the governor to reopen the market and punish the culprits.”

Baba Ayo, another yam seller, said that rather than crippling economic activities for many days, the government should tackle whatever that led to the violence and punish the perpetrators.

He also called on the Lagos State Government to move the market away from where it had been, noting that “if that is government’s intention, it should do that fast, before we lose all our sources of income.”

Panic as another plane makes air return Passengers were thrown into confusion on Saturday when a Lagos-bound Air Peace plane had to make an air return to the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State, following a fire alarm in the cabin of the aircraft.

After the fire alarm was raised shortly after the plane took off, the pilot had to return to the airport.

Mr Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil

Aviation Authority (NCAA), confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Adurogboye said the alarm was raised about fire in the cabin which forced the pilot to make the air return.

“The flight crew did the right thing by returning to base to check the situation,’’ he said.

The NCAA spokesman, however, said the aircraft

did not crash land, adding that the pilot properly briefed the passengers before landing safely.

“Air return is a precautionary flight safety procedure that must be adopted in the event of a snag.

“The pilot acted according to Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs),’’ Adurogboye said.

He also reiterated the NCAA’s commitment to the safety of Nigeria’s aviation sector.

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for an economic sanction against Morocco to force the country out of the Western Sahara, after over 40 years of colony.

President of ASUU, Dr Nasir Fagge, who made the call on Saturday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Nigeria Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara, said the independence of Africa would be incomplete until the colony was freed from the “oppression, exploitation and criminal plundering of this resource-endowed territory by Moroccans.”

While noting that Western Sahara was the last colony in Africa, Fagge condemned a situation where an African country has held its sister country under captivity for several years in spite of global efforts to guarantee self-determination of the Saharawi people.

The ASUU President, particularly, called on African countries to stop patronising products from Morocco, just as he urged the African Union (AU) to reel out other harsh economic sanctions against Moroccan government.

10

life&living

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

‘Pipeline vandalism claimed 400 lives in one year’ Continued from pg 3 are no customers to buy them. They’ve all fled to safer havens.

“On waterways, some soldiers and naval personnel are harassing villagers who are fleeing. Things are pretty difficult,” the youth leader lamented.

Speaking on the soldiers’ arrival at the kingdom, one of the villagers and National President of the Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (FHRACC), Comrade Alaowei Cleric, “there was tension as villagers dashed into the woods for fear of attacks and arrests.

There is still tension as villagers are either taking refuge in the woods or relocating to Warri.”

Lamenting the situation the people had found themselves after the bombings, Comrade Cleric added: “Niger Delta is a peaceful place; we did not expect the recent bombings. It was unfortunate it happened. But the people should not be made to bear the brunt of the sins of the miscreants. Soldiers should fish out the perpetrators alone and stop harassing our innocent villagers.”

While the spokesperson for the military Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, Lieutenant Colonel Isa Ado, could not be reached for comments, the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA), Warri Naval Base, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, refuted claims that naval personnel were terrorising residents of SandField 1&2, a makeshift settlement located directly opposite the naval base.

Residents of the area had complained that after the recent pipelines bombings which took place kilometres away from their community, naval personnel had been engaged in midnight shootings into the air for reasons not stated.

The night shootings have led to many of the villagers fleeing their homes for fear of the unknown. Recently when Sunday Tribune visited the settlement, only a handful of residents were seen.

Reacting to the allegation, Commodore Mohammed told Sunday Tribune through his Bureau of Information Officer, Lt. N.B. Lamu, that the shootings were part of their routine exercise as a security measure.

He noted that some leaders of the communities were duly informed before the exercise began, saying the mandate of the navy “is protecting life and property and not the other way round as alleged.”

Arepo pipeline vandals dare security agents Arepo, a suburb of Ogun State,eems to have taken the leading position among the communities where pipeline vandalism has continued unabated over the years, thus defying all efforts of the security agencies to nip the act in the bud.

In February, five naval officers were killed just like a pregnant woman who was hit by stray bullet when security agents and vandals engaged one another a few years back. Between February 2015 and February 2016, no fewer than 400 deaths may have been recorded due to the activities of the vandals along that axis. The axis is believed to be notorious for oil theft by vandals who vandalise pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Arrests, conviction of suspected vandals On February 29, nine people accused of pipeline vandalism and killing of nine policemen were sentenced to 22 years imprisonment.

A vandal, 23-year-old Idowu Sobijoh, was reported to have stated that his gang was responsible for over 400 deaths between February 2015 and February 2016.

He added that over 370 people died during an explosion in July 2015 due to activities of vandals. “Those killed that day were over 370,” he said, adding that his cousin, Ayo, who introduced him into the act, also died in the explosion.

“I would have died that day too, but I refused to go with Ayo because I was very tired. We carried the corpses of our people and buried them in three large graves. We counted over 370 corpses. I also saw my brother’s corpse because he wasn’t burnt completely,” he stated.

Govt’s efforts to arrest the menace The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, made several visits to Arepo while in office and pledged to employ Horizontal Dimensional Drilling (HDD) which will bury the pipelines deeper into the ground, but that was not done until she left.

The present Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, was supposed to visit Arepo in late January to inspect vandalised spots; his helicopter only hovered around the community but couldn’t land because of security threat.

This shows how notorious Arepo is to Nigerians in general and government officials in particular.

The Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on a recent security inspection tour of Owutu, Ishawo, Oke-Oko and other adjoining communities in Ikorodu West

Local Council Development Area (LCDA), stopped at Little Palace Hotel, which vandals once used allegedly as a hideout before it was taken over by the Army, Navy, Airforce and the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police under the code name, ‘Operation Awatse.’

The security men told Ambode that during Operation Awatse, 15 suspected vandals were arrested, over 2,000 50-litre jerry cans seized and 36 vehicles impounded. Commanding Officer of 174 Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Julius Ogbebo, told Ambode that the joint forces had discovered Little Palace Hotel, one of the locations the vandals often used to commit their criminal activities in the area.

“Also sir, we have recovered over 36 vehicles and we have more than 15 suspects.

Some of them have been handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for prosecution and further action. So far, we have tried to garrison Ishawo and Arepo, but still the vandals have not relented in their activities,” Ogbebo said.

Going forward Going by the grim news of recurring pipeline explosions due to the activities of

Several billions of dollars are estimated to have been lost annually to oil theft, while many people have died

vandals, miscreants and hoodlums in the last few years, it is all too easy to consider that government initiatives to protect pipelines and other oil installations with deployment of security agencies, at best had been ineffectual, and at worst, had actually exacerbated the woes that the intervention was meant to address.

If recent events are anything to go by, several billions of dollars are estimated to have been lost annually to oil theft, while several people have died, many burnt beyond recognition and properties worth billions of naira destroyed in the last 30 years as a result of pipeline explosions.

Arresting the menace has become challenging due to failure of the Federal Government to adopt new technology in monitoring the pipelines that stretched about 5120 kilometres across the country. The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saddled with the management of the pipelines has reportedly failed in its responsibility. The pipelines recorded over 774 breaches in 2015.

The company lacks the capacity to monitor and detect leakages, siphoning of products and breaches. Last month, an illegal oil bunkering site was uncovered in Ogere Water Works in Ogun State by Topline Leighton Limited, a private pipeline security surveillance company under the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC).

Five vandals were arrested in connection with the illegal site where over 20 million litres of fuel were said to be stolen daily by vandals.

Similar discovery was made in January far away in the Atlas Cove area, around the Roberts Island in Lagos State precisely. These discoveries were made by physical inspection after tip-offs.

11

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

feature Stealing in the house of God What clerics say

Religious houses are believed to be above board not only in spiritual matters, but also in other issues. But in recent times, there have been reported cases of stealing in these spiritual enclaves. SEYI SOKOYA spoke with some clerics on this worrisome issues.

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TEALING is one of the sins God frowns on in the Ten Commandments. But Sunday Tribune’s findings revealed that stealing has become so endemic in today’s world, much more than in the biblical Israel, that man has taken the atrocity to God’s doorstep.

For example, penultimate week, authorities of Saint Peter’s Catholic Church, Ejigbo, Lagos State, handed one of its members who allegedly stole N5,000 from the church’s offering box after the morning Mass.

The suspect, identified as Kingsley, was apprehended by the church’s private guards. Investigation showed that Kingsley had earlier been arrested for same offence. He had gone to church for the regular morning Mass. While other worshippers left after the service, Kingsley stayed behind, pretending to be having personal prayer time.

Thereafter, he reportedly went to where the offering box was kept, brought out a glue-coated stick and put it inside the offering box. When he pulled it out, some money got stuck to the stick. On his way out of the chapel, one of the private security men, who saw him taking the money, searched him and recovered N5,000.

He was subsequently taken to the parish priest, who directed that he should be released on compassionate grounds. However, on getting home, it was gathered that an argument over his misdemeanour ensued between

him and his wife. He then beat his pregnant wife. The assault on his wife was reported at the Ejigbo Police Division and he was arrested.

That incident is only one of many instances. The unfortunate trend is not limited to the churches. Such incidents had also been reported in mosques too, especially when worshippers collected ‘fisebil’ and failed to declare or deliberately under-declared their takings.

Sunday Tribune sought the views of clerics on this development and its imcplications for the society.

Stealing has been with us since the time of Jesus Christ —Prophet Olagunju The visioner of the Christ Apostolic Church, Power of God Saves (CACCOPEM), Prophet Moses Olagunju, said that “stealing in the house of God has been around since the day of the Jesus Christ. He gathered about 120 people and they were reduced to 70 when they could not withstand the truth. The list eventually came down to 12 when teachings was tense. We all know that one out of the 12 later betrayed Jesus Christ. The agenda of some people who go to church is to steal. The closer they are to their pastors, the more they stylishly destroy them and their ministry. Any house of God that claims not to have thieves among them has not grown. They are not interested in the sermons or

any activities of the church, but to execute their devilish act. I have come to realise that we cannot do without them, because these are the people God wants us to revive their souls. I want to advise all clerics to continue to pray for all sinners until they finally repent and live a righteous life.

It is unfortunate this happens within religious bodies —Alhaji Akintunde The National President, National Association of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Alhaji Kamalddin Akintunde, said, “it is unfortunate to have such experience in religious bodies where we expect to have people who are Godconscious and honest, because that is the essence of religion.

I want to attribute this anomaly to poverty. But the fact that one is not economically stable doesn’t mean one should steal in religious places. One is not expected to steal at all irrespective of any condition not to talk of going to steal in the house of God. It is an act of committing more sin and evil.

“I think the world is coming to an end, because people no longer observe religious values, people are now used to cutting corners in all their endevours. They will even shout at you when you try to caution them. Those who are still conscious of God should remain a good example. I Continues pg 12

12

feature

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

‘High rate of prosperity sermon makes members to look for money at all cost’

Prophet Moses Olagunju

Alhaji Kamalddin Akintunde

Continued from pg 11 want to advise those who are righteous not to stop as well as continue to educate the sinners. Also, the government should do the needful by providing job opportunities and enabling environment that will promote productivity. It is also important that the governed should also do the needful by abiding to the laws of the land.”

It happens more often than ever before —Revd Olorode According to Reverend Toyin Olorode of Salem Baptist Church, Dacamca area, Oyo, “Theft is a common occurrence in the world, and it is not a new thing even in the church of God. Church’s spiritual understanding plays laudable roles in addressing theft. During Jesus’ days and earthly ministry, there was a disciple named Judas Iscariot, who was reported to be continually stealing from the ministry purse as the treasurer.

“Nevertheless, church theft has always remained a mystery to many people. How can people have the gut to steal from God’s house without thinking of repercussions? But the truth is it happens often than ever before.

I recommend punishment for people who steal in the house of God –Pastor Hajoh The resident Pastor of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Ilorin, Kwara State, Pastor Muyiwa Hajoh, cited various examples of instances of theft in the church, including stealing among ushers and members in the accounts section, while he noted that anyone caught in the act must not go unpunished.

According to him, “I know of a ministry where an usher stole money, which he used to build a house and to send his children to school, but at the end of the day, the church discovered his atrocities through the CCTV. He was later sent away from the church. There was a time a pastor added dollars to the offering. By the time the offering was counted, the dollars were missing. Sometimes, people’s tithes get missing. In many cases, it is sorted within the church, except in cases where the person is a chronic thief, who broke into the church to rob.

“Some church members steal to satisfy a pressing need, but this is no excuse. I also recommend punishment for people who steal in the house of God. Religious institutions must have a welfare department to tackle this issue. They must find out why they steal and then counsel them using the word of God to encourage anyone caught in the act to repent. If the person is a member in the accounts section, remove him/her from that department. Then the person should also be under watch to see if he/she is repentant. I don’t believe in bringing church issues to the police. It doesn’t help matters.”

It is not rampant among Muslims, but…

—Prof Akintola The director of Muslim Rights Concerns (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, said that stealing in the house of God is not rampant among Muslims.

Pastor Olumide Iyiola

Prof Ishaq Akintola

Akintola said further that, “Muslims do not have such experience. Whereas armed robbers are known to have raided churches to steal earnings of the day, nothing like this has ever happened in any mosque. Although, Muslims also contribute money in the mosque, such money is in such small amount that it does not attract attention.What we have in mosques is petty larceny. Slippers or shoes kept outside the mosque by worshippers sometimes develop wings. Occasionally also, wall clocks used to remind worshippers the exact time to start prayers are stolen. But such incidents are so unimportant that nobody thinks of even reporting them to the law enforcement agencies.”

Clerics who ‘prophe-lie’ are also thieves —Prophet Nwazuo The General Overseer, Revolution Fire Christian Ministry, Ojodu, Lagos State, Prophet (Dr), Emmanuel E. Nwazuo, gave reference to the Bible on recommended punishment for anyone who steals from the church, ranging from asking the person to do restitution to suspension.

Nwazo said, “There are people who are habitual thieves and there are those who do it as a result of a spell. For instance, if a person is entrusted with church funds, and he/ she misuses it, he or she should be required to refund the money and also be sanctioned or be barred from performing certain roles in the church, until he or she signs of remorse.

“When we find members such as that, we will counsel them and if they refuse to change, we will show them the door, because they cannot continue to corrupt the true church members. Even pastors steal. Those so-called pastors who do what we call ‘prophe-lie’ steal. These are pastors who demand money for seeing various visions, to me they are also thieves.”

Church should discourage money changing for members —Pastor Iyiola Presiding pastor of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Ilu Iyanu, Oke-Ira, Ogba, Lagos State, who is also a banker, Pastor Olumide Iyiola, noted that stealing from the church’s purse comes in different ways. He said they were

It is unfortunate to have such experience in religious bodies where we expect to have people who are God-conscious and honest, because that is the essence of religion

Pastor Muyiwa Hajoh

those who embezzle outright and some who use their power and positions as church’s treasurer, financial secretary or those who inflate church contracts and ushers who steal from offerings boxes.

Iyiola also said that the high rate of prosperity sermons clerics preach these days is one of the causes, adding that “It makes some members look for money at all cost. We have to go back to the Bible basics and make holiness our watchword. The church should not withhold discipline on anyone caught in such act, because it will be a good way to discourage others.”

He, however, suggested solutions that could curb this problems in the house of God. “It is time churches deploy technologies such as CCTV to monitor the operations within and outside the church premises. Religious bodies should also go cashless as much as possible by using POS or electronic banking and should also put in place a good financial committee. The church should also have auditors to occasionally monitor its finances. It should also discourage money changing for members as well as stop appointing newcomers into money related functions.”

Church has a system of correcting members —Akinola Pastor F.A.S. Akinola, National Men Missionary Union coordinator, Nigerian Baptist Convention, speaking on the issue, said: “The church has a system of correcting members with such character, but the system is a redemptive one such that the person involved will not be sent away from the church and ultimately from the faith.

The system of punishment as you may view it accommodates discipleship/training programme to bring the person back and closer to God while he/she is being disciplined. We disciple the person we discipline.”

13 Continued from

A

13 March, 2016 last week

T the beginning of this statement, I referred to THE DAWN. This is the “glorious dawn” of which we spoke fifteen years ago, as a certainty after the “utter darkness” into which we were then about to plunge ourselves. At that time, partly out of ignorance and partly out of self-seeking disregard for democratic norms, we moved rapidly from the twilight of democracy in 1962 into the utter darkness of naked power and despotisms which, in the fullness of time, ushered in two military coups in quick succession, climaxed by a bitter civil war.

In other words, the new era into which we are now about to enter is not our first post-independence attempt at democratic form of government. It is going to be our second. It is now generally agreed that the first attempt was a disastrous and unmitigated failure. It had to be.

There were three main causes.

The first cause was the passionate desire for ethnic hegemony. Some of our leaders considered, and, to all appearances, still consider it their inherent and inalienable destiny to rule Nigeria in perpetuity. In the pursuit of this unnatural objective, a good deal of political and social distortions became inevitable. Census was rigged; those who dared to criticise the aberrant objective of the then existent ruling cabal were regarded as enemies and marked down for destruction; in the ordering of our public life. merit was discounted, mediocrity was enthroned; and, above all, there was inter-ethnic envy which, as time went on, began to crystalise into a feeling of inferiority among some Nigerian leaders, and of superiority among others.

In all these, the masses of the people in some ethnic groups were taken for granted, and their wishes flouted.

Similarly, in their unhealthy jockeying and bargaining for subordinate positions of power, most of the leaders of the other ethnic groups paid little or no regard whatsoever to the yearnings and self-respect of their fellow men within their ethnic groups. In this unhealthy state of affairs, inter-ethnic conflict of diverse and unpredictable dimensions was unavoidable.

The second main cause was extreme intolerance of democratic norms and practices on the part of those in power in the country. They resented and detested the voice of dissent or opposition, so much so that they were prepared to go to any length to harass it, and if possible, to stifle it. To this end, the mass media were over-awed

Awo’s thoughts PATH TO NIGERIAN GREATNESS

On the campaign trail At last — the glorious dawn*

and their independence eroded and subverted; parliamentary as well as extra-parliamentary opposition was assaulted by every unfair means, and its leaders were persecuted and prosecuted.

The masses of the people, unable to vent their spleen against the prevailing misdoings, waited patiently for the day when it was ordained by the Constitution that they could elect new rulers. When the occasion did arrive, the elections were blatantly rigged, and the wishes of the people totally and brazenly stultified. The widespread violence and revolt which followed were inevitable.

The third cause was a complete absence of ideological direction on the part of the country’s rulers. There were no social goals or ideals, the pursuit and materialisation of which would benefit individual Nigerians, and hence every ethnic group, equally. Instead, emphasis was placed on catering to the needs of the Ministers, and their friends in parliaments and outside governmental circles.

The establishment, distribution, and location of new government projects were decisively influenced by and for group interests. And the allocation of revenue was done in such a manner as to outrage the feelings of those section of Nigeria which are at the main source of derivation, and in induce a sense of financial irresponsibility in some of the other sections. Furthermore, the introduction, in this exercise, of the novel principle of equality among the states, irrespective of population, gave a big fillip to the demand for the creation of more and more states by ethnic and tribal groups which considered themselves neglected and unjustly treated in the distribution of

Sunday Tribune

economic and social benefits. In the absence of definite goals, and bedevilled by the other two causes, it was not at all surprising that our ship of state drifted wildly from 1960 and suffered a colossal wreck in 1966.

At this threshold of the limitless and unknown future, we of the Unity Party of Nigeria are resolved that these three causes shall not be allowed to rear their monstrous and ugly heads again. In our considered view, however, the one positive and constructive way by which this can be done is henceforth to regard every individual Nigerian as the target of all our development activities, and the pivot and centre of our political life.

With this object in view, there are four cardinal socioeconomic programmes which we of the Unity Party of Nigeria are resolutely determined to pursue, in order that Nigeria may achieve rapid economic progress, and establish an egalitarian, just, democratic and peaceful society.

I would like to emphasise that these cardinal programmes constitute the substratum, the foundation, the solid and indestructible base on which a truly dynamic, stable and developed economy can be erected. Without this substratum, any other projects, however good and grand, will benefit only a few, and, as such, can only at best, as hitherto, induce in us an illusion of development and national affluence, in the face of grinding poverty for the masses.

The first of the four cardinal programmes is education.

Man is the sold dynamic in Nature. He is the generator of all causative and innovative impulses aimed at taming, harnessing, and directing the forces of Nature and the natural tendencies of man, for the total progress and happiness of his species. Throughout the annals of man in all parts of the world, the educated man, the man of science, and the technologist have been the initiators and pace-setters of every phase and level of human progress in all the sectors of man’s endeavours. The more of these men a country has, and the higher their calibre, the more developed and the more self-reliant and selfrespecting that country is.

Furthermore, the education of every citizen, to the limit of his ability, is a fundamental right. To deny it or to treat it as a privilege is deprivation, and an assault on human dignity. In addition, the country suffers serious handicaps in its march to economic plenitude, to political freedom as stability, and to social justice.

To be continued

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14

voxpop

13 March, 2016

What we cannot stand during our wives’ pregnancies

Sunday Tribune

Pregnant women often exhibit emotional and physical reactions which may, sometimes, be repulsive or nauseating.

TEMITAYO ILIASU asks some men on the things they cannot stand from their wives when they are pregnant.

Odunjo adio It is a good news for one’s wife to be pregnant especially for a new couple. However, it is always a challenging period, because she will not be as strong as before. So I do not like seeing her doing house chores or jobs that seem to require some energy. I do not also like it when she complains of not having appetite.

YUSSUF OLATUNJI Although, I’m not yet married I have a lot of experience with pregnant women, because I have them around me. I really won’t be able to stand my wife vomiting during pregnancy. I can still cope with the fact that she spits around, but if she vomits, she won’t be able to clean it up and I will be left to clean it. That is really disgusting.

Dapo ogungbemi I actually appreciate my wife’s appearance during pregnancy. Each time I look at her, I do feel this joy from within, knowing that the one I love is carrying my future and that, soon, I will be referred to as a father. However, I do not like it when she complains of tiredness and heaviness, which are, of course, normal for every pregnant woman.

OLAITAN TAIFEEK: What I don’t like when a woman is pregnant is to see her looking very haggard as she pays little or no attention to her appearance. I also don’t like it when pregnant women go around with a bowl with cover which they use for spitting. It’s very unhygienic for any woman to do that during pregnancy.

I don’t also appreciate it when pregnant women have swollen feet.

SAMUEL ADELEKE I cannot tolerate it if she can’t wash my clothes, because if she can’t, who will? And then again, I really dislike it when women vomit and spit around during pregnancy.

AKINWOLE ADEBAYO I don’t have any problem at all when my wife is pregnant. She does not vomit or spit around and her sleep is always normal. She does not sleep too much or have morning sickness. The only thing that worries me is that she urinates more during pregnancy and that is alarming for me.

Seun FOLA-JACOBS

RASHEED MABAYOJE It is a known fact that most women are lazy during pregnancy, especially in their last trimester. I can cope with that, because it is just for the duration of the pregnancy, but what I really can’t stand is when she keeps saliva in her mouth and it becomes difficult to hear her when she’s speaking.

It is a great experience to witness one’s wife carrying pregnancy. You watch as she manages to carry her delicate body. You watch with fear, joy and excitement. But the most challenging part of the experience is that if my wife could not sleep, she would wake me to help her out of the bed or get down to ease herself. Sometimes, she can urinate up to seven times before morning. One must be patient to handle such a situation.

ROTIMI WEMIMO: I don’t eat my wife’s food when she’s pregnant.

Also, I don’t like it when pregnant women vomit or keep saliva in their mouths; it’s very disgusting.

I also don’t like it if her stomach looks too big and you start to wonder if she is giving birth to five babies at a time.

15

interview

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Ese’s case is an ongoing forceful Islamisation of young girls —Briggs

Ms Annkio Briggs is a human rights activist and social commentator, based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In this interview with Deputy Editor, DAPO FALADE, she speaks on the implication Ese Oruru’s abduction, who recently regained her freedom, would have for the Niger Delta region and its people if not handled well.

A

BDUCTION of young girls is assuming a more worrisome dimension across the country. How did you see this development?

Well, first and foremost, we must realise kidnap or abduction is a crime all over the world. In some cases, it is a heinous crime, depending on what is done. If you kidnap to collect ransom, it is a crime. But when you begin to kidnap children whose ages range from nine to 16 and take them out of their safe environment into another environment that is alien to them, alien to their culture and religion, then we have to pay very serious attention to those types of issues. Now, to kidnap anybody and take them outside of their safety area, an underaged child for example, without the permission or knowledge of their guardians or parents, we are moving gradually into very dangerous situations.

My major concern, after following up what has happened to Ese Oruru in Bayelsa State and the other children whose stories have now come up. If we are looking at the stories that have come out, one also was taken on the same day that Ese was taken in Bayelsa. We must begin to join these things together and begin to articulate ahead of time and decide on what we think is going on in this country today.

For me and from my analysis, what is going on is very frightening. The result is that there are young girls being taken from certain parts of Nigeria. While we were still reeling from the explosion of the information on the Bayelsa issue, we also heard in Lagos that in a missionary boarding school, some armed men went in and took three girls. We were told that the girls were between the ages of 14 and 15. I believe that they are specifically choosing Christian girls who are likely to be virgins.

You are trying to bring religious coloration into a social vice...

This is not a social vice at all: let nobody be fooled.

What is happening today is very dangerous. This was how, during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, Sharia was allowed to take hold to the extent that the people practising sharia law believed that it was above the constitution of Nigeria. As a matter of fact, not only is it above the constitution of Nigeria, but the sharia law is being used to stop the police from doing the job that they are paid to do. This is very, very frightening.

I assure you that there is no way in Nigeria that a Niger Delta or Igbo man, living in Sokoto or Kano or Kaduna, will take a 13-year-old Muslim girl, cover her in traditional wear and bring her to his own home state and he takes her to his village and his father will accept her to the house or the village head will accept her to the village he will change her to a Christian, call her Ann and have her baptised and then say that she eloped with him.

This country will be on fire from the top to the creeks.

They will never allow that to happen. When I say they, the people that it would have happened to, in this case, the northerners and, in this case, the Muslims, I am not being disrespectful and this is not, in any way, to disrespect either the traditional rulers, the emirs or the leaders in their communities or the people that sit in the Sharia courts. Based on what is happening today, two things are coming to play. One is that the Islamisation of people who are Christians in the Niger Delta has started and I believed now that this abduction of young Christian girls has been going on for a very long time.

How do you see the circumstances of the disappearance of Ese from Bayelsa and her link with the palace of the Emir of Kano?

Look, many questions need to be answered: when the police were looking for her, when did they get there? When was she indoctrinated? When was her religion changed?

When was she given the name, Aisha? When did the emir get to know about it? As he is saying that he said they should take her back, it means he knew that it was wrong. If it was

Ms Annkio Briggs

not wrong, why would he say they should take her back?

If you knew that something is wrong, as a leader, you must make sure that, that thing is corrected. So, why did he allow the order that he gave then that they should take Ese back to her parent to last till February and the girl was only returned on the 2nd of March?

So these questions need to be asked; it does not matter how high up you are in the society. If you commit a crime, you must pay for that crime. If you are part of a crime, you must pay for it. You cannot say that, because you are an emir or because you are the Amanayabo of Kalabari or Amandowei do Nembe or Eze Gbakagbaka of Igbo or the Ooni of Ife, you commit a crime that is against the laws of Nigeria or you know about it and because you hold any of these titles and that now frees you. Look, this is a responsibility to our laws and to our people. Otherwise, the people from Niger Republic can come to Port Harcourt to carry somebody and go to Niger.

How do you see the role of the police in the whole saga?

Why should the emir intervene when a crime had been committed?

Nigeria is not governed by sharia law

The delay in finding the girl is not the fault of the police.

This is because somebody stopped the police from carrying out their duty to the extent that the police at the highest level were helpless to say that the emir would have to intervene. Why should the emir intervene when a crime had been committed? Nigeria is not governed by sharia law. People who are Muslims and who choose to be governed by sharia law can be governed by sharia law, but that does not take away the rights of Nigeria as a country.

Even if they want to punish the crime by sharia law, they should go ahead, but the law that affects us as Christians and as Niger Delta people is the law of Nigeria. So if you want to double-punish Yunusa (the abductor), you can go ahead and double-punish him. We do not accept that if somebody steals, you should cut off his/her hands. The law of Nigeria says you should jail him/her but the sharia Law says you should cut his/her hand.

Ese was kidnapped last August, but by the time she came out, she was about six-month pregnant.

As a mother, how do you see this development as related to the issue of abuse of the girl-child?

First of all, the laws and rules are very clear about the rights of a child and every state in Nigeria, but particularly the states in the Niger Delta and the South-East, and I want to take this opportunity to call on our governors, our lawmakers in the National Assembly and the state houses of Assembly to very quickly make sure that every law, international and national, that protects the rights of a child, not just girl-child alone but every child, male and female, should be domesticated.

I am calling on the governors in our region to see somebody like me not as an enemy but as a rightful owner of the government that they are running so that we can work together to develop and to protect our region and our people and bring the security of our people and our property very quickly to this region. This is because if we are not able to do that, then there is a problem.

16

13 March, 2016

O

NE major emotive issue in the polity today is the push by the Igbo nation minus those in government houses and power corridors elsewhere, for self-determination. The agitation is staccato, the agitators somehow disparate umbrella bodies with different nomenclatures, leadership, amorphous, strategy; abstract, but the dream is very clear. Since the first secession misadventure led by Igbo human-deity, Odumegwu Ojukwu, the fire for the realisation of the dream has burnt glowingly in the heart of an average Igbo commoner who sees his identity more in the dream land-locked independent nation than the disjointed Nigerian entity.

The only problem is that the Biafra noise experiences an interlude whenever the Igbo nation is well placed and represented in an administration. The return of democracy kept it loudly until the five years of Goodluck Jonathan when even the blind could see that it was “Igbo government” at every turn. Ironically, Jonathan is of the Ijaw ethnic stock which would not naturally find comforting association with the Igbo race. Maybe someday, the extremely taciturn former president would explain the “deal” with Ndigbo.

The land of the rising sun is now back in the trenches with the defeat of “their own”, saturating everywhere with the Biafra noise again. The fits-and-starts methodology may be the reason many call the current agitation “Biafraud”, a mere blackmail tool to corner the national cake. This is also likely to explain the mindset of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to crack down on the agitators with heavy hand, slightly lower in harshness compared to the civil war period. When you add the misgiving between the Igbo nation and Buhari dating back to the alleged atrocities of civil war days and the unabashed rejection of him in all the four presidential contests, it can be concluded that the Igbo race and Buhari’s administration are into a marathon and not a 100-metre dash.

Both appear ready and determined with consequences.

If the Igbo race, including those in Buhari’s government and ruling APC had any doubts about his feeling, the last presidential media chat should have cleared that. Any surviving doubts should have gone with the killing of defenceless Biafra protesters. Any thoughts of meeting half-way should have evaporated with the handling of the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the most recognisable Biafra flag-bearer.

THE greatest challenge to our nationhood is the lack of any form of bonding between Nigeria and her nationals.

There is such implausible disconnect between Nigeria and Nigerians that, more often than not, the nation and most of her nationals seem to be perpetually headed in different directions, pursuing different interests.

The reason for this aloofness is not a matter of conjectures; most Nigerians feel alienated from their country, because of their conviction that, to their country, they are nothing more than mere statistical figures. They believe that their country does not care whether they live or die, eat or starve, whether they are ill or healed. Unlike what obtains in other countries whose nationals have a strong sense of belonging, Nigerians have no longing for their country rather, they are imbued with lonesome feelings; destabilised, disoriented and disenchanted like refugees, though resident in their fatherland.

Most Nigerians below the age of 40 are living witnesses to the insensitivity of their country to her people. Many of this category of citizens attended private primary and secondary schools, some of them even attended private tertiary institutions essentially because of the inadequacy of the public education system. Over the years, they saw their parents struggle to provide their own electricity, water, community roads and health services without any input from the state. Some of them saw their parents reduced to beggars after their retirement from the civil service as it took forever for their gratuities to be paid.

They also witnessed how, despite being old and feeble, their parents were asked to be brought by the state for the annual pensioners’ identification rituals, thus exacerbating their indisposition. Some of them have had to run helter-skelter to help their parents out of serious health challenges as the state has no provision for such. Even as adults, they have also been forced to follow the pathway trodden by their parents, having to fend for themselves and their children without any form of support from the state. They have also had to support their unemployed siblings since the state is too engrossed with taking care of public office holders to provide any safety net for its citizens.

Many offspring of policemen easily recall that their

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Let’s discuss Biafra

Where does the current situation leave everybody, because the entire nation would be repeating the Boko Haram mistake, thinking the current agitation is just another ‘come-and-chop’ blackmail, despite the suspicious timing?

When something is in the heart of a man, it is not easily buried. Were it to be as simple as it should be, Igbo race should have been allowed to simply walk away, creating their own fiefdom and rule over their mainly merchandising economy. But not even ordinary association is allowed to disintegrate without efforts to hold it together, because it should be merrier when more.

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Making Nigerians fall in love with Nigeria

parents who were injured in the course of official duties became a burden to their kith and kin as the state they were serving abandoned them to their fate after the misfortune. Some of the people whose parents died while trying to maintain the peace daily heap loads of blame on their parents for being gullible enough to die for an uncaring country and subjecting them to hostile economic realities as the state never bothered about their wellbe-

Sunday Tribune

But what do you do with a man whose heart is no longer in your home, especially when such a man thinks doing business with you is holding him down. An average Igbo with confidence tinged by arrogance believes he can turn stones to gold and their major defence for the alleged socio-economic and political expansionist agenda in Lagos, is that the Igbo settlers hold the state’s economic towers from crumbling.

With total respect to the race, an average Igbo could be a difficult swallow any day. The short-fuse aggression usually on display is likely from a mindset of “the rest of Nigeria doesn’t want us” and if the truth must be told, the mindset could be a near correct reading of other ethnic blocs’ dispositions to the Igbo man.

The return of democracy minus the Jonathan years, somehow reinforces that. I personally feel the current APC government, despite the presence of the Ngiges, the Onus and the Kachikwus, has a thing against Ndigbo, particularly Abuja and Lagos.

It has been everything but comforting for Ibos since the general elections in Lagos. It is as if there would not be enough price for their daring exploits during the polls.

How do you expect such people to find demulcent accommodation within the Nigerian state?

But there is strangeness to the perceived plight of Ndigbo. Only the race sympathises with self. I have sampled wide opinions among other ethnic blocs. If Ndigbo leaves the Nigerian nation today, the exit may look more like good riddance to a reject than a want-away finally doing the hurray.

I guess that is the first soul-searching Ndigbo should do before embarking on strategies to exit Nigeria. Nigeria, is no doubt, a country of nations, with the attendant mistrust and ethnic power-play, but the bile of others for the Igbo race is almost beyond comprehension. I had remonstrated loudly in the presence of someone who I never knew would have any opinion, let alone a strong one, about the strategic and obviously pre-determined demolition of Ibo-dominated markets in Lagos. Without looking directly at me, he said with emphasis, “o da be sir, Tiwon to poju. (Serves them right for their excesses).

To be continued....

ing. The story is not different for children of sportsmen who still have an axe to grind with the state for dumping their parents during their time of need despite the laurels won for the nation.

The message perceived from the state by the average Nigerian is that the government is never there for the citizens. This explains why there is so much ethnic loyalty to the detriment of nationalism.

Nothing strengthens citizenship and promotes patriotism among nationals of any country more than the knowledge that their country would spare no effort to give them a new lease of life whenever they are down.

Military personnel who know that their country would not abandon them in their time of need would do all in their power to protect the territorial integrity of the country. A policeman who is sure that his children would not be turned into ‘pure water’ hawkers in the event of any adversity would work his heart out for his country. A civil servant who knows that his interest is paramount to the state will put the state first and refrain from any conduct that would injure the interest of the state.

Those occupying political positions are quick to quote President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address where he made the statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”, but fail to understand what informed the statement.

Americans don’t have to think about what their country can do for them because they know what it will do. They know that as American citizens, education, health services, security are a given, not subjected to discussion or negotiation.

What promise does Nigeria hold for her nationals? Is it education, health, employment or security? What is it that binds the nationals to the nation apart from the mere circumstance of birth? What hope does the country give to her citizens? What assurances are there that, if Nigerians give their best to their fatherland, their country would do likewise?

Trust is never given; it is always earned. Nigerians would become patriotic when the state cares about their wellbeing. This is something President Muhammadu Buhari should subject to serious reflection.

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13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

I will continue to avoid questions on

Marriage —Banky W

God, hard work gave me best actress —Adesua Etomi

How my smile won me two crowns — Ebelechukwu

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13 March, 2016

God, hard work gave me best actress award

MKN brings Director X to Nigeria

—Adesua Etomi Stories By Segun Adebayo

N

OLLYWOOD actress, Adesua Etomi, has attributed her award as the best actress at the recently held Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA) to God and hard work.

Etomi broke into the movie industry in 2014 and has been able to prove to movie followers in the country that there is more to her than her fine face.

Speaking on how she felt when she was announced winner in the best actress in drama and (Movie/TV series) that had top actresses like Genevieve Nnaji, Nse Ikpe-Etim and others, Etomi admitted that she could not have won the category without the grace of God. She was quick to add “There is really no such thing as too new for God’s grace. If it wasn’t for God, hard work and if it wasn’t the right time. I would not have received the award.”

Etomi added further that she had an out of body experience.

“I can’t even really tell you what happened in that moment. My family recorded it, so even when I watched it the day after, it was as if it was the first time I was experiencing it. I know that I was

shaking a lot. I know everyone around me was telling to get up as I was glued to my seat after Dakore Akande called my name. I remember getting on stage and Ramsey Nouah telling me to breathe. I think I may also have been holding my breath,” she said.

God has been good to me —Akin Adebayo RENOWNED gospel singer, Evangelist Akin Adebayo, otherwise known as Imole Ayo, has been counting his blessings through gospel music.

Evangelist Adebayo has cut a niche for himself through a unique style of singing and has become a household name both at home and abroad.

Speaking to journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State, last week, Adebayo explained that he had been singing from his childhood and gave glory to God for blessing him with the talent.

Adebayo, who is now working on the video clips of his albums entitled: “Figbayemi and Mo r’ope da’ said the two would will soon be completed and released.

According to him, “I give glory to God and also express my gratitude to my numerous fans for their love.”

The multi-talented gospel singer and instrumentalist

had been in the music industry for over two decades and

has over 20 albums to his credit.

AWARD winning international video director, Julien Christian Lutz, otherwise known as Director X, is in Nigeria.

R gathered that Director X who has directed music videos for top American acts like Drake, Jamie Foxx, Kendrick Lamar, among others, landed in Nigeria on Thursday ahead of the first Music Video Director’s seminar, organised by MKN, a media production compnay that specialises in music videos, commercial and promos.

The “Work” video director was spotted making his way out of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Thursday evening.

Director X is excited about his trip to Nigeria as he made several mentions about coming to Nigeria for the MKN Seminar.

Speaking about his visit to Nigeria, he

Olajumoke wows in new shoot OLAJUMOKE Orisaguna, the famous bread seller turned model, is gradually stepping up her modelling career and she seems to be happy about the transformation that her life has experienced ever since she came in contact with TY Bello during a photoshoot that would later change her life for good.

Orisaguna was until her transformation was an unknown bread seller in Agege area of Lagos State battling with a life of squalor that took her away from her base in Osun State to Lagos in search of a greener pasture.

Her rise to stardom is still a surprise to many who have not seen Nigeria, especially Lagos as a place where one can build a career by chance.

The new model stunned all in an intriguing portrait of herself, showing of her

Sunday Tribune

innocence in what will become a memoir of a life now filled with surprises. With fame, fortune and wealth all finding a place in her, life could not have been more enjoyed than it is for her currently.

Weeks back, she was announced as payporte brand ambassador and things have continued to look up for her since then as she has also got down some endorsement

deals. She has made a few appearances at some corporate events challenging everyone with a dream of success not to relent, but trust in the hope of possibilities.

said he felt happy to be in the country and would seize the opportunity to visit as many historical places as possible before he returns to his US base.

Other top video directors such as Sesan & Moe Musa have also been announced as keynote speakers for the MKN seminar.

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razzmatazz

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Liberty TV wins double at NBMA LIBERTY TV was one of the biggest winners at the sixth edition of the Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (NBMA) that took place penultimate weekend at Barcelona Hotel, Abuja.

The most-watched TV channel in the Northern part of the country won a double, carting home the Best TV Channel and Best Indigenous TV Station. Winning in the two categories, which voting process solely based on ‘viewer’s choice’, further confirmed Liberty TV large fan base and viewership.

Liberty TV that is transmitting on STARTIMES Channel 180 and Strong HD Decoders, is a news

and currents affairs driven platform broadcasting from Kaduna State to a global audience, founded on the tenets of free speech, human and civil rights, and exercise of free market.

With a vision to revolutionise and raise the professional standards of broadcasting in Nigeria, Liberty TV, is living up to the expectations of TV lovers across the Hausa language speaking regions in Africa/Nigeria.

A subsidiary of ATAR Communications Nigeria Limited, Liberty TV is established to revolutionise TV broadcasting to global standard in Nigeria. It is managed

by professionals who are highly competent in the industry.

Speaking on the double honour, the station’s General Manager, Mr. Toyin Alabi, said, “We are very happy. We see this as a challenge not to relent on our efforts to be the best among the rest. We are also happy that the successes of our radio stations Liberty 91.7 FM and the Hausa channel, Tashar ‘Yanci103.1FM, are already rubbing on the TV station, and we cannot afford to disappoint our listeners and viewers,” he concluded.

Ayefele, Pasuma, others for Femi Solar’s album launch

Happy times for Juliet Ibrahim

G

OOD times are here again for Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim. The beautiful actress who is also into music has continued to show that she has come into the industry to make a mark with acting and music. She has a couple of songs that enjoyed airplay in the past few years.

Ibrahim, who was referred to as the most beautiful West African Woman according to A-listers Magazine, has now joined superstar singer, Akon, as a brand ambassador for Cintron, an international premium lifestyle beverage brand.

The mother of one, who released the picture of herself holding the beverage brand on her Instagram page on Friday, said she felt great to have been announced as one of the ambassadors of Cintron and would give her best to make the brand more popular.

However, she would not reveal the financial gains of the new deal, but it was gathered that the deal runs into millions of naira.

In 2014, she released a music video for her hit song “Its Over Now” featuring General Pype. She also has a music video, ‘Traffic Jam’ and her latest single; ‘Sholala’.

WITH less than one month to the launching of Femi Solar’s album, which he called Mercy Beyond, the Jasa gospel crooner is leaving no stone unturned.

Solar, R gathered, has been in and out of the studio for the past weeks to put final touches to his much expected album.

The album, according to Solar, will be launched on April 10 as leading gospel singer and CEO of Fresh FM radio, Yinka Ayefele, is expected to lead other prominent Nigerians to Genesis Suites and Hall, Challenge, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Wasiu Alabi Pasuma has been penciled down as the star artiste of the day. “Pasuma is coming to rock the city of Ibadan. I can confirm that to you. He’s not the only one coming that day, but I would not like to reveal much now,” Solar said.

On the same day, Solar said he would launch his latest video, entitled Grace with no fewer than 30 gospel acts across the country expected to perform at the event, which is said to be an all-white party affair. Speaking on the choice of white dress, Solar said white symbolises purity and peace, hence his decision to go with white.

He insisted that he would not be toeing the usual path for the event, saying those who have been following him in the last few years would know that he likes to do his things differently.

“I have been working on this project for more than eight months and

Psquare ends rift with Soundcity AFTER moving away from their break-up rumour which dominated public discussion for weeks, pop duo, Psquare, seem to have found a common ground with music channel, Soundcity, as they have now ended their long time beef that made them sworn enemies.

For more than a year, Soundcity did not air Psquare’s music videos on its channel. Soundcity had issued a statement last year, explaining why it stopped playing the music videos of Psquare on their

channel after an alleged breakdown of negotiation among the two over a show that was said to have been staged by Soundcity.

A new twist to their strained relationship emerged last week when the Psquare brothers via their Instagram pages thanked both Soundcity CEO, Tajudeen Adepetu and Olamide Adedeji, for giving peace a chance. The post read in part : “@rudeboyPsquare shoutout to @soundcityafrica @soundcitytv for giving

peace a chance. Thanks to @ tadadepetu and @lamidelagos, God bless you guys. The post was instantly followed by reactions from their fans who thanked them for giving peace a chance after a long time.

Though, it could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report who brokered truce between them, but it was gathered that both parties saw the need to bury their differences and allow peace to reign.

I am glad that things are already taking the shape that I want. My team and I have been working to ensure that everything works according to plan. I will be launching my new video, Grace on that day as well, so you can see that it is going to be an afternoon that will be loaded with lots of activities,”he said.

On what his fans should expect from the album, that is said to have featured Adegbodu twins, Mega 99, Prince Abel Dosumu and other artistes, Solar, who is releasing his seventh studio album said he decided to step up his game this time by reaching to other popular names in the industry that could add value to the project.

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13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune With Segun Adebayo &Seyi Sokoya tegbollistic@yahoo.com seyi_sky@yahoo.com 08116954644 08132577840

Olubankole Wellington otherwise known as Banky W is a popular name in the music industry. To him, his fans inspire him to always want to give his best and even do more. Over the years, he has churned out hit tracks and registered his name on the lips of many music listeners as one of Nigeria’s finest R and B singers. Banky W who was the brains behind the rise of Wizkid and Skales speaks with SEGUN ADEBAYO.

Y

OU have your hands in different areas these days- you talk, act, direct and still sing. Is this part of your plans to diversify or you are already planning for life after music?

I think it’s all of the above. First of all, I believe it’s wise to diversify; I believe it’s important to always look to grow, and to never be satisfied with your accomplishments but to always try and push yourself to do more. Secondly, I heard somewhere that musicians don’t retire. They just stop when there’s no more music left in them. And I’m at a point where there’s so much music in me. The truth is that I’m going to be dropping a lot of contents over the next year or so. We already have multiple album projects from myself and my label artistes- Shaydee, Niyola and DJ Xclusive. I’m, however, sure that I won’t always want to be front-and-centre as a solo artiste, dropping singles, albums and touring, so when the days come where I prefer to take more of a back seat in that regard, I’d like to still be successful and still have my hands full with other projects. I think that’s where directing, media production, advertising, and other things I have been involved in come in.

I don’t want another

Wizkid, Skales —Banky W

Your directing skills have also improved greatly since you came back from New York movie academy, what’s the magic?

I’ve always been into directing right from my school days. I used to write, act in and direct the school plays at one point. Even as far as the videos EME have put out, I properly wrote the concepts for over 80 per cent of them, and in many instances, I co-directed them as well. As far as going to film school is concerned, I’m just big on getting an education in a field, if at all possible.

I like learning that way, it gives you the confidence and security in the sense that you know what you’re talking about. It goes to show that you know what you’re doing and you can stand toe-to-toe with anyone and have a legit conversation about it.

Does this mean you will continue to be the director of your works unlike before when you saddled other directors with the job?

Let me say that my goal at this point is to direct a video for every single song on my album. I want to push the envelope. I don’t think it’s ever been done in Africa, where an artiste is singing, rapping and still writing and directing every one of his videos. I guess I want people to truly see what I’m capable of (no pun intended). I’m also hoping to get into a lot more corporate work; TV commercials, documentaries, and more. What better way to show what I’m able to do than to use my own videos as proof? That’s the message I am passing across to the people.

How much trust do you have in your co-video directors since you now direct too?

I’ve worked with a lot of directors in the past, and that will continue. I’m only one person… and with all the artistes we have, there’s no way I’d be able to take on every single video for every

single artiste. I’d be unable to do anything else with my time, so I hope to continue the great working relationship that I have with the likes of Clarence, Sesan, Kemi Adetiba, Meji Alabi, Adasa Cookey, Unlimited LA, Mo Musa and many more. There’s more than enough work; more than enough food on the table for everyone to eat well.

Do you really think you have got what it takes to start shooting professional music videos

even outside the shores of Nigeria?

I have already started shooting professionally outside of Nigeria. My “High Notes” video, I directed myself and shot it in Johannesburg, South Africa. I have also written, produced and directed three beautiful videos in New York City – “Made For You”, “Unborn Child” and “Mercy”. In fact, while in Nigeria, I’m still looking for the members of my filming team, and auContinues on pg21

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13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Continued from pg20

ditioning new people with each project; outside of Nigeria I’m pretty solid and set in stone with the people I work with and we do fantastic work together.

‘I don’t sing to win

When you announced your decision to enrol at the Film Academy, many people felt you were stepping out of your comfort zone, did you see it like that?

I didn’t see it that way. I have been writing and co-directing for years as I mentioned earlier. Also, opinions are like manners, everyone has one, and It doesn’t mean it’s not full of crap. When you want to do something, just go for it and believe in yourself, and try your best. If you believe it, you can achieve it, pure and simple. They say “the man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both correct.”

awards’

Since you broke into the music industry with your famous Ebute Metta song, the going appears to have been good for you. You don’t even look tired. Does it come to you as a surprise that you could last this long?

I had been making music way before I released Ebute Metta, and I knew I would continue way after that.

What exactly do you think has been working for you in an industry that is fast emerging as one of the best in this time?

It has unequivocally been nothing but the grace of God. Also, the support of my amazing fans, the great team behind me, hard work, self-belief and motivation.

There are assumptions that EME has not been living it up like it used to be. Before now, we had Wizkid and later Skales who rode on your back to become superstars today before they left your side.

When will another Wizkid-like emerge from EME? I’m very proud of the work we did on both Wiz and Skales, and I’m even prouder of the superstars they have grown to become. In a sense, it justifies your original belief in them when no one else in the world knew who they were. Now, I’m just as excited about Shaydee’s album and the work that we’re doing on Niyola’s project as I was when I was working on my previous artistes’ stuff. The thing is I don’t want another Wizkid, Skales or Banky W. I want something new. I want the first Shaydee and the first Niyola and the first DJ Xclusive.

And, I’m confident that with them, the world will soon see what I know, and what we’ve been working on. And, by God’s grace, they too will be tremendously successful.

Talking about Niyola, she’s one artiste that many people believe would have a quick rise but despite the investment on her, it appears she has not got to the point where she could expose her full potential as one of Nigeria’s finest voices, what has been happening to her?

The ironic thing about Niyola is that she was in the Nigerian music business way before I was; but she was never really in the right situation/frame of mind/support system to truly maximise her potential. Ever since she’s been working under the EME umbrella, people are starting to finally take notice of how talented she is, and the amazing music she’s capable of creating. Her first major award wins and nominations were with songs she’s done with us, so I’m grateful for the success she’s attained thus far. For the past few months, she’s been buried in the studio working on her album, and we’ve just finished shooting her single “Jo” featuring Pasuma, and we will follow that with a second video “JeunSoke” with Ycee. Both should be quite amazing.

It is believed that she has got all it takes, what’s holding her back?

I believe in working on the things that you can control and leaving the rest to God. Leonardo DiCaprio, as talented and amazing as he is, waited for almost 20 years before he won an Oscar. Does that take anything away from his talent? Absolutely not. Sometimes, it really is just a matter of the right time. All you can do is put your best into it, and that’s what she is doing and what the label is doing. I believe though, that this will be her breakout year by God’s grace.

Do you still trust in her ability to hit it big on your label?

I believe in her and every act that we sign. If we didn’t believe in them, would we take on the immense investment and risk? Once EME signs an act, we take on everything, expenses-wise, to try and help the act to be comfortable in just focusing on making the best music possible.

Banky W is a ladies’ man anytime, you have been avoiding questions on when you would quit being single, when will that be?

I’m still avoiding such questions.

Do you fear you could lose your fan base which is largely dominated by ladies if you take the step to get married?

Absolutely not.

What kind of investment are you talking about?

It’s an investment that involves heavy process. We pay for rent, school fees, allowances, studio fees, producer fees, clothing, video shoots, photo shoots, PR, legal, marketing and so on. We make sure our acts are comfortable. We take on all of that for as long as possible until the act starts generating revenue. Now, the only reason we do all that, which usually runs for years before the act starts making money is because we believe in their ability and talent, and we believe that it will one day become a success.

Now to you as a musician, you always have your with your songs that each time they drop, the audience is already waiting, how do you go about it?

I have been very fortunate to have created a unique lane for myself in the business. As an artiste and a brand, what I do is just different from pretty much everything and everyone else out there. I always tell artistes that it’s important to be unique and innovative in your approach. By that way, when people want you, they have no choice but to come looking for you in particular. On my best day, I can’t be D’banj, or 2Face, or PSquare. And on their best day, they can’t do what I do either.

Your new song and video ‘Made for You’, what inspired the song?

I’m intrigued and inspired by the concept of soulmates; when you find someone who you’re so in tune with that it feels like God created you for each other. The same way He took a rib out of Adam to make Eve, I think that’s a beautiful thing, and I wanted to make a song to express that deep connection that is possible when you’re in love with the right person.

On my best day, I can’t be D’banj or 2Face or PSquare. And on their best days, they can’t do what I do either.

You once said you won’t shave your beard for now, why?

It has been a part of me for about 15 years. I don’t even know if I’d recognise myself without it. Maybe I’ll shave it one day, just to see if anyone would know it’s me.

What’s your take on the face-off that ushered entertainment lovers into 2016, looking at the Headies Award fall out and others that have continued to dominate public discussion for some time?

I’m not a fan of public disputes; I think some things are better left resolved behind closed doors, one on one. Going right to social media or to any kind of public stage to air a problem is always messy; no one comes out looking good after those kinds of blow ups. Personally, I prefer to try and iron out differences behind closed doors.

Are you satisfied with the state of entertainment awards in Nigeria and what do you think can be done to make it look more credible and acceptable?

I think there are too many “voting-based” awards. When you base almost all categories on audience voting, you leave too much up to chance and to it being a popularity contest.

Someone can literally go and pay tens or hundreds of people to go online and vote; or use these computer-based voting programmes that can cheat the system. You can’t vote for someone to win a Grammy, or an Oscar. We need more of those kinds of platforms; where an academy of professionals can make a decision, and then have a handful of voting-only categories as opposed to the other way round. With that being said, I’m not a fan of awards and awards shows in general, and I never focus on them. If I win, I’m grateful; if I don’t, that’s not the reason I’m in the business anyway so it’s all good.

Will you be signing new artistes this year?

I would like to focus on helping the artistes I have right now to become successful, before thinking of taking on additional talent. We’ll see what the near future holds though.

Is it true that there is a string attached to your relationship with Niyola than the eyes could see?

Our relationship is that she’s an artiste on my label.

What new project are you working and what does this say about your person?

I’m working on completing my album. I’m also working on a joint album with Iyanya, and a rap mixtape hosted by DJ XClusive. In terms of what it says about my person, usually my albums reveal a lot about who I am, and my state of mind, so I would say wait till the albums come so you can make your own judgments.

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entartainment

Sunday Tribune

with Segun Adebayo tegbollistic@yahoo.com 08116954644

‘Ile-Ife Easter Fiesta in top gear’

By Seyi Sokoya ORGANISERS of the Ile-Ife Easter Fiesta are leaving no stone unturned, as plans are underway to make the event great.

Various brands have started supporting the event as more are expected to do same before the event.

Speaking with newsmen in Lagos recently, the deputy project manager, Dayo Taiwo, revealed that some major brands would be announced soon, alongside

irokoPlusnowirokoWorld,unveils

Funke Akindele as ambassador A

S part of plans to reposition for ever improved Nollywood entertainment for subscribers, premium Nollywood television channel on StarTimes Pay TV, irokoPlus, has been officially relaunched as irokoWorld.

The popular channel has also appointed award win-

ning actress and producer, Funke Akindele popularly known as ‘Jenifa’ as its brand ambassador.

At a media event in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, irokoWorld made the new announcements and officially unveiled the star actress as the new face of the brand, who will promote the entertainment channel and

endear it more to subscribers on StarTimes and other Nigerians through various engagements, including screening popular Funke Akindele blockbuster movies, visits to customer centres and city tours, among other lined up activities.

Explaining the rationale behind the rebranding and selection of ‘Jenifa’, Uloma

9ice shoots new video, in Ibadan 9ICE has described Ibadan, Oyo State, as his second home as he concluded the shooting of another video, Agbawabura, on location in the ancient city In an exclusive chat with E on Tuesday at his hotel, the Gongo Aso crooner said the decision to shoot the video in Ibadan was informed by the serene atmosphere that pervaded the Agodi Gardens where the entire video was shot He said he did not believe the garden had been restructured to such aesthetic beauty until the video producer took him to the place.

“Lagos is becoming too congested and creative individuals need time off the hustle and bustle. For me, Ibadan is always a home.

I love the peace, the terrace, the space and also the food, especially the amala “I can tell you that Ibadan would soon develop fast

beyond what we presently have now and that will be good for the entertainment and tourism industry “I have never been to Agodi Gardens before, but my last visit has opened my eyes to the beauty spot.

Another place that comes close is Ikogosi where I

shot the video of Abefe.

When the video is out, you will not believe that such a lovely place exists in Ekiti.

I only urge my colleagues to start patronising our local locations for our videos and stop promoting other countries tourism sites,” he advised.

Onuma, Head of Legal and Distribution, iROKO said the new developments were borne out of relentless commitment and resolve to offer more for Nigerian movie lovers.

She said: “Our choice of Funke Akindele was because she has proven to be not just a multi-talented award-winning actress, but also an inspirational character that excites many Nigerians with her educative and interesting movies as well as her comic character Jenifa.”

eminent personalities that have been endorsing the event and also confirming their attendance.

Taiwo also said: “We are humbled by the outpouring of endorsements from eminent Nigerians. Apparently, Nigerians love the newly installed Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II and since the event is about him and the city of Ile-Ife where we all come from, it is expected to host a galaxy of stars and prominent Nigerians.”

Guinness excites Lagos with ‘TheSpecialOne’

By Seyi Sokoya FOLLOWING successful launches across different cities in Nigeria, Guinness introduced its latest in-

Prof Olawale to chair Ibadan Easter Fiesta

By Seyi Sokoya DIRECTOR of the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS), University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Professor Isaac Albert Olawale, is expected to chair the maiden edition of Ibadan “Easter Fiesta” on March 28.

As part of the effort of Cletcom to help grow the entertainment industry and encourage up-andcoming artistes, it is hosting this event as the first edition.

Managing Director of Cletcom Services, Prince Cletus Iloabanafor, explained that with the present economic crisis, which has “heightened apprehension and threatened spirit of brotherhood, Nigerians are still forging ahead and deserve to return praises to God.” Performing at the event are Kenny Kore, Mike Abdul, Damola Dipo, Babatunmise and other up-andcoming gospel artists.

novation, Guinness Africa Special, to the people of Lagos.

‘The Go Karting’ track at GET Arena, Lagos, was transformed into a colourful and vibrant space playing host to the launch event with over 3,000 guests excited to meet #TheSpecialOne - Guinness Africa Special.

Burna Boy, Ycee, Kolasoul, Magnito, Simi, Bovi and Jimmy Jatt thrilled guests at the event.

DJ Spinall brought down the roof with his music line-up, Godwin Strings stole the show with his talent, while Osa 7 used live graffiti to bring alive the famous Eyo image that is synonymous with the people of Lagos.

Made of Black ambassadors, Olamide and Phyno, were present and were in their elements as they performed ‘Iranu Abasa’ together. Olamide and Enimoney also took the fun a bit higher when they performed Oyadab getting everyone to pose with their Guinness Africa Special.

Speaking at the Lagos event, the Portfolio Manager for the Guinness brand, Liz Ashdown, said Guinness Africa Special is the first new innovation from Guinness in 10 years and was created to satisfy the need of young Nigerian consumers who constantly crave for something special and relevant to them.

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sundayzest

I

F you have ever wondered how people with limited living space or a one-room apartment have sex with their children around, an on-going debate might give you the answer. Should you have sex while your children are in the same room? Some called it a form of “child abuse” while others admitted to have done it before.

The debate started on Netmums where the anonymous poster wrote that she was “increasingly disturbed since a friend told me about a week ago that she and her husband were having sex in the room with their 10-year-old and eight-year-old asleep.”

In the post, she explained that, for various reasons, her friend and her husband would be sharing a room for the next few months “so this situation won’t change for a while yet” “They do have a living room,” she continued, “so I can’t understand why they didn’t have sex there before they went to bed.

My friend said it’s fine – they made sure the children were asleep but I am not certain you could be sure or that they won’t wake up and lie there wondering what was happening.”

‘She said it was no different to the third world countries where families all share one room, which I guess is true. However I felt really uncomfortable since I

With Victory Oyeleke victoryoyeleke@yahoo.com

Is it right to have sex when your children are in the same room?

found this out because of the age of the kids.

‘Part of me feels I should say something. But I am a pretty chilled out person and never really get involved in judging what other people do. So the other part of me thinks that it is none of my business, and maybe something that is okay for some people.’

The post had since attracted hundreds of comments with some siding with the couple while others thought their action should be investigated due to the age of the children.

Evaluating the comments, it seems to be a matter of prefer-

ence. Would you rather starve yourself of sex for a few months and open your marriage to temptation? Experts were of the opin-

You don’t want to upset them and it’s best to keep personal intimacy separate from them.

Sunday Tribune

ion that we should not be in a rush to criticise.

Psychologist, Emma Kenney, told the Daily Mail that the decision is age-dependent.

While many parents have sex in the same room as their babies and younger children, “when it comes to children of eight and 10, it’s a judgment for parents as to whether they truly believe the children are asleep,” she said.

“There’s nothing wrong with having sex. It’s important to maintain that intimacy in a relationship.

‘Children do learn that parents love each other and I think we

should bring children up without a sense of shame and the knowledge that in grown up relationships, there is intimacy,” she added.

Though Kenney emphasised on the importance of sex in maintaining intimacy in a relationship, she also argued that with kids, “you don’t want to upset them and it’s best to keep personal intimacy separate from them. It’s not something they can quite understand at that point.”

Kenney was unwilling to be negative and criticise the couple in the post, saying they sounded like “loving parents trying to manage a difficult situation.”

She also cautioned those calling it child’s abuse. “Having worked with victims of abuse and observing first hand the devastation it caused to their lives, “I think people should be very careful in what they’re suggesting,” she said.

Parents living in confined spaces like those with unlimited spaces have to maintain their relationships and come up with ways to meet their intimate needs.

Provided they are quiet and discreet, having sex with children in the same room but on different beds is understandable.

For those who have never found themselves in this situation, it is distasteful and unacceptable but for those who live in it, it is a nonissue.

24

13 March, 2016

makeover

Sunday Tribune

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

Photo:www.news.wsu.edu

Choosing clothes to complement body shape

By Temitayo Iliasu

K

NOWING your body type is all about dressing to look your best; female figures come in all shapes and sizes. Thus, you need clothes that will flatter your body type by using fashion as a tool in showcasing your best features.

In order to know your body type, you need to pay more attention to your curves by checking out how your bust, waist and hips connect. You can determine your body type by measuring in inches, the size of your bust, waist and hip.

Apple shape You can fall into the apple body type which is referred to as “top heavy” because your bust is bigger than the hips by about three or more inches. Your arms are slim and you tend to be busty and also have a protruding stomach.

You also might gather weight around your midriff. Therefore, if you intend to choose the clothes that will flatter your shape, then

you have to draw attention away from your midriff, your waists and shoulders but maintain attention to your bust and neck.

Long sleeve shirts are the best bet for apple body types. You are also advised to wear blouses or dresses with slight V-necks. You can also choose flared pants or skirts over skinny pants and skirts, let you waist band be below your hip bone.

Pear shape The pear type is often referred to as the “curvaceous” body which is sometimes noticeable because you tend to have wider, muscular and fuller legs compared to the rest of your body.

Your hips are significantly bigger than your bust, therefore

your lower parts are more pronounced. You have narrow shoulders. Use your shape to your advantage by avoiding trouser pants or leggings that narrow your legs.

Wear bras that enhance your bust, wear straight or slightly flared pants and also wear anything that adds to your shoulder and bust area. Remember to keep attention to the upper body.

Rectangular shape A lot of women fall into this

Photo:www.sheknows.com

category. If you are rectangular shaped, then it means your waist is about the same size as your hips and bust. You are definitely not as curvy as the pear body type; rather, you are fairly straight upwards. In all, you gather extra weight around your midriff.

To look great in this body shape, stay off menswear such as baggy jeans and the like because that will only give you a man’s profile which would not be a good call.

Wear skinny jeans meant for your body type, draw attention to your lower part and make the most of your g r e a t legs. Mini skirts will definitely look good on you and then shape

wear is another wonderful choice.

Adhere strictly to women clothing.

Hourglass shape Then if you do not fall in any of the other body types mentioned, then you will definitely be in the category called the hourglass body and it is the least common. Fat is evenly stored in the right places which means your bust line and your hip line are the same width, you are likely to be slightly fleshy in your upper arms with wider looking shoulder. Your curves are highly pronounced. You are sure to look great if you allow your waist to be the centre of attention, stay away from shapeless clothes because they make you look fatter than you actually are. While dressing let your upper and lower bodies compliment your midriff.

Wear supportive bra to make your bust less and perky rather than droopy. Wear blouses and dresses with V-necks.

Additional report www.wikihow.com

from

25

13 March, 2016

relationships

… issues, family, sex

Sunday Tribune

Rita Okonoboh 08053789087 rosarumese@gmail.com

Celebrating relationships with love letters

L

OVE letters, for centuries unknown, have retained the position of being one of the most classic forms of romantic expressions and gained popularity in men’s expression of their undying love for women. With the celebration of the International Women’s Day, as well as the month of March as Women History Month, now would be a wonderful time to improve one’s relationship by writing a love letter.

The practice is not only best for its originality, the effort put into it also, is sure to wow any woman any day.

Below are excerpts from famous love letters.

SEYI Law’s Love Letter To His Wife (October 2015) Dr. (Mrs) Ebere Stacy Aletile, The Managing Director, Lawrence-Aletile Family Empire.

Head Office Branch, Lagos.

Dear Ma, In lieu of your request for a personal mail from me, I have decided to put into writing an agreement I made with you on Sunday 27th March, 2011 in the presence of God and people to love, cherish and protect you with all my life and possession.

I have put my heart to continue to work for the greater good of this commitment without pay or leave until my last breath unconditionally. I believe in our mission of building a new generation family grounded in godliness and the general good of the world.

I hope our vision and values will not be deterred by external forces seeking to cause a breach that can lead to the termination of our contract. I will be very grateful if you would continue to give me the necessary support to help me discharge my duties without fears, but with much favour.

Thank you for your belief in my brand to perform to its full potential for the purpose for which I have signed.

Yours faithfully, ALETILE Oluwaseyitan Lawrence, SEYILAW. Chief Executive Officer Lawrence-Aletile Family Empire.”

Source:www.informationng.com FROM Winston Churchill to Clementine Churchill (23 January 1935) My darling Clemmie, … you wrote some words very dear to me, about my having

Random Fact

Photo:www.soposted.com

FROM Franz Kafka to Felice Bauer (11 November 1912)

Mr Daniel Ele Attah (right) receiving his gift as one of the winners in the Tribune Valentine Love Notes’ competition, from Tribune’s Kogi State correspondent, Mr Yinka Oladoyinbo.

FROM Elizabeth Barrett to Robert Browning (10 January 1846) Dear Robert Browning, …Do you know, when you have told me to think of you, I have been feeling ashamed of thinking of you so much, of thinking of only you--which is too much, enriched your life. I cannot tell you what pleasure this gave me, because I always feel so overwhelmingly in your debt, if there can be accounts in love... What it has been to me to live all these years in your heart and compan-

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love —Sophocles

perhaps. Shall I tell you? It seems to me, to myself, that no man was ever before to any woman what you are to me--the fullness must be in proportion, you know, to the vacancy...and only I know what was behind-the long wilderness without the blossoming rose...and the capacity for happiness, like a black ionship no phrases can convey.

Time passes swiftly, but is it not joyous to see how great and growing is the treasure we have gathered together, amid the storms and stresses of so many eventful and, to millions, tragic and terrible years?…

With tender love from your devoted, Source:www.libraryonline.com

Fräulein Felice!

I am now going to ask you a favor which sounds quite crazy, and which I should regard as such, were I the one to receive the letter.

It is also the very greatest test that even the kindest person could be put to. Well, this is it: Write to me only once a week, gaping hole, before this silver flooding. Is it wonderful that I should stand as in a dream, and disbelieve--not you--but my own fate?

Was ever any one taken suddenly from a lampless dungeon and placed upon the pinnacle of a mountain, without the head turning round and the heart turning faint, as mine do? And you love me more, you say? Shall I thank you or God? Both, indeed, and there is no possible return from me to either of you! I thank you as the unworthy may…and as we all thank God. How shall I ever prove what my heart is to you? How will you ever see it as I feel it?…

Source:www.libraryonline.com

so that your letter arrives on Sunday—for I cannot endure your daily letters, I am incapable of enduring them. For instance, I answer one of your letters, then lie in bed in apparent calm, but my heart beats through my entire body and is conscious only of you.

I belong to you; there is really no other way of expressing it, and that is not strong enough. But for this very reason I don’t want to know what you are wearing; it confuses me so much that I cannot deal with life; and that’s why I don’t want to know that you are fond of me. If I did, how could I, fool that I am, go on sitting in my office, or here at home, instead of leaping onto a train with my eyes shut and opening them only when I am with you?...

Source:www.libraryonline.com Tips for writing a love letter • Express yourself in clear, romantic terms, even if you sound odd • Write the letter as if your partner is with you • Use your romantic imagination • Tell him/her how much they mean to you and how much you miss them • Be original, let the letter be handwritten

26

13 March, 2016

With Akintayo Abodunrin akinjaa03@yahoo.co.uk 08111813058

Sonia Oduwa Aimy is Edo Stateborn actress and singer who relocated to Italy over 10 years ago. She speaks about her experiences and engagements in the European country. Excerpts

me to meet him at the next WOMEX. But another big project came up and I couldn’t make it. This time I apologised but he never responded. I was just going on with my music and theatre. Then the promotion in Nigeria was to happen with Ayoola Sadare as my promoter and I was supposed to be here to promote my music, but I came here for only four months.

W

HEN Edo ladies go to Italy, the perception is that they go there for prostitution, but this doesn’t apply to you. How did you do it?

The assumption that Edo ladies in Italy are prostitutes is a stereotype. It isn’t so because you have Edo people who are in Italy to study like me; those who are lawyers and doctors. I mean professional women that nobody talks about. So, I’m saying that the stereotype is totally wrong and I have proven people wrong and I continue to prove them wrong because I moved to Italy and I studied jazz music and interpretation. I studied theatre arts and it has been my field since I finished. I have never done any other job apart from being an artiste. I am a full-time artiste. When I am not singing, I am acting. When I am not acting, I am directing or I am teaching vocal education, music ensemble or theatre arts.

Being a stereotype here, I am sure it is also something that those who have stayed in Italy like you must have battled over there. I mean, do the people there also feel that Edo or black ladies in their country are often prostitutes?

Over there, as much as you are a black woman, the assumption is that you are a prostitute. They don’t know whether you are Nigerian, Edo, Cameroonian or Ghanaian; a black woman is equal to a prostitute. This is because they see a lot of black women on the streets. These days the white women [on the streets] are either Albanian or Romanian. So Edo is not written on the forehead. It is the same stereotype but not particular to Edo but black women generally. But they know who is a prostitute. Being an artiste and having had the opportunity of doing television and theatre with the National Theatre for many years, movies and all that, of course you also have recognition from the country which I represented in performances.

You did that as an Italian?

Yes, as an Italian. I am a pride of Italy. One thing about Italians, if you know their culture, learn their language and you can speak better than them, they are going to worship you forever. But if you don’t know anything about them, and you don’t speak their language, they wouldn’t care about you.

At what point did you learn the language?

When I got there, within six months I started studying. I had to learn it by force with the diction and all that. I am passionate about the Italian language so when I speak it, it is with passion, it is with love. When an Italian hears you speak Italian, they are proud of you and doubt whether you were born in Africa.

They tell you maybe your mother is Italian.

When it was mentioned that you have moved to Canada, I thought it was because of challenges in Italy but

Was it because of tours in Italy?

Yes, they called me. My agent for television and cinema called me while I was here that there was a television project that I was supposed to go back and do. That was in 2010.

When I got back to Italy, I got a contract with the national television and it was a very horrible experience, but the project was beautiful. We were in the studio shooting a drama series for six months and what we were supposed to be paid was not what it turned out to be.

Sonia

How I became Italy’s first black Cinderella

—Sonia Oduwa Aimy you don’t sound challenged in any way?

Italy is my second home and will always be.

I didn’t actually move to Canada. At a point in my artistic career, as for every top artiste in Italy, there is a point you have to reach where you must leave Italy to other countries so that when you come back, you gain more popularity and you demand is higher. And cache [French word for pay] becomes higher.

‘Mother’ is your first album, when was it released?

It was released in 2009.

When did you decide to look outside Italy?

My first agent, Luisa Parrelli, an Italian said, we have to begin to look outside Italy, to either Africa or North America. At the beginning, I was like what is this woman trying to tell me? Does she not want me to be in Italy? I was okay. My theatre was on, and my music was going on. I mean, I didn’t feel the

need to and I don’t have that big vision that I want to be this and that. I didn’t see that and she was like, no, Sonia, you are getting me wrong; do you want to continue to earn a certain amount? The crisis is not affecting you yet because you are also doing theatre. By the time we fully take on music, it is going to be difficult. So we have to go out there, we need to go out for others to hear this music, not just in Italy. Then we would gain more recognition. She tried to explain. I did not disagree, but I was kind of skeptical. She said when the album comes out, we would send it to various promoters. That was what she did.

We got responses from some European countries and from Canada as well. It was Derek Andrews who responded from Canada. He wrote me to say he liked my music and would like to collaborate with me. He asked me to meet him at WOMEX (World Music Festival) in Spain. I did say yes to him, but I didn’t know I was having a tight schedule. So I was on tour at the time and couldn’t make it. I wrote him to apologize and he told

This television project was in Italian?

Yes, it was in Italian, a national television production. The project turned out to be another thing entirely and we couldn’t back out. My agent had already signed for me and backing out of the contract meant I would have to pay a fine. That is a lot of money and it would not be good for me because I was dealing with Italy as a country. It was almost the same problem for everybody but we had to just swallow it.

At that time, I was really disappointed but I was happy for my job because as an artiste, I was getting exposure. But then I was very disappointed and I said, now is the time for me to do something. I felt, let me go back to Nigeria and then I thought of Australia. I have another amazing producer who wanted to work with me in Australia. I said this is the time but you know this inner mind just comes to you, “no Sonia, you are getting it wrong again, Canada, you have people there.” And I said, yes, Canada. So, immediately I finished work on that production, I had another large production with another company from the south of Italy. I finished that and wrote this guy from Toronto.

Not Derek?

No, it’s the first guy who got in touch with Derek. I was scared to write Derek. I said how would you feel if I come to Toronto? He said, hey, Sonia, you again. Three years you have been saying you are coming and we never see you. You know what, just give me a call.

He didn’t believe I would go to Toronto. That was how I bought my ticket and went to Toronto in 2010.

So, you have been there since 2010?

No, I have not been living there. I have been going off and on.

What about the ‘Cinderella’ play in Italy. How challenging was putting it up?

It was for the young audience, also for the adults…

So you were able to fill the hall every weekend?

It is not every weekend, a minimum of 120 plays a year and we travelled across Italy for 10 years.

Continues p27

27 arts&culture

13 March, 2016

Heralding the gospel with poetry A review of Idowu Adedayo’s album, Konkonboto, by Olutayo Irantiola

T

HOUGH there is a general misconception that there are some vocabularies in English that cannot be translated or transliterated into Yoruba, this is one of the issues addressed

by Adedayo Idowu in his new work entitled ‘Konkonboto’ which he translates as the ‘Gargantuan Genre.’

Idowu has evolved with time because the opening track has a contemporary tune with a slight blend of rap. The track, ‘Ori Mi ko Buru’ is a song of thanksgiving that God has prevailed in his life and has not given the enemy an opportunity. The poet cum singer is also optimistic of his ascension with Jesus at his appearance and urges all those who want to reign with Jesus to accept him and eschew sin.

The second track which is 18 minutes long is an exposition on the happenings in the church. He references a previous album ‘Ara Jesu ko ya’ where he focuses on the decadence in the church. Describing the church as ‘a rotten orange’, he holds that the role the church is expected to play in the society has been corrupted. The track makes reference to the Bible when Jesus sent out money changers in Mark 11:15. There are different analogies of the atrocities committed by Men of God. He rightly notes that many followers of the ‘devilish’ ministers do not equally want the truth. He believes that the real men of God will be known by their deeds. The poet gives a vivid description of the qualifications of a minister of God as written in I Timothy, Chapter Three. He lampoons the denominational segregation, explaining it in English thus: “Jesus Christ has nominated us for heaven but we are denominating ourselves. Hence, we have innumerable denominations and the spirit of denominationalism has demoralized the church.

Therefore, the church is critically sick and is drastically dying. Oh! Lord save the church” He goes ahead to explain the trend of pentecostalism that can be called ‘pente-rascalism.’ According to him, anointing oil as written in the Bible was used just twice for healing. The church is being humiliated because of the glory attributed to the ministers.

‘Eni Taye Ye Lo Datunbi’, the third track is

a reminder of the need to be born again and concentrate on making heaven. He notes that his joy is filled whenever he is in the house of the Lord which is in tandem with the words of David in Psalms 122:1. As for the poet, there is no reason to be enticed for material gains. He notes that the stings of sin are very disastrous; he mentions different sins and Bible characters that had unfortunate end like Samson.

The fourth track, ‘Ayipada Tooto’ is a call to the change that God is expecting from man. He says the change that every man needs is to embrace godliness and righteousness while Nigerians need to change from being corrupt. In his words, “The honourables dishonouring themselves’; the respected disrespecting themselves; the exalted debasing themselves; the valued devaluing themselves; the graced disgracing themselves

Album cover falling from grace to grass; exhibiting shows of shame; they need to change” In the track which is also a commentary on the political situation of the country, he

MUSON alumni’s performance justified our investment in music education —MTN Foundation

By Seyi Sokoya THE Executive Secretary of the MTN Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma has described the performance of the MUSON alumni at the last pre valentine concert sponsored by the Foundation as a good justification for the MTN Nigeria’s investment in promoting music education through its partnership with the Music Society of Nigeria School of Music.

Ugboma gave the remark after witnessing for over 2 hours the melodious sound of string and wind instruments, classical music, opera and contemporary Nigerian tunes performed by the beneficiaries of the Foundation’s 2-year scholarship programme at the Shell Hall of MUSON last weekend.

According to her, the Foundation has sponsored over 200 students in its 9-year of sponsoring the 2-year Diploma programme, and since then, the beneficiaries now under the aegis of MUSON alumni, have been organising the concert for the past 4 years. “The concert has provided them with another opportunity, in addition to other milestones they have achieved, to showcase their talents which have been refined through the scholarship programme.

Tonight’s performance has once again renewed the faith we had from the beginning in the talents of these students. We have

MTN Ambassadors, Cobhams and Banky W performing at the MTNF MUSON Scholars Pre Valentine Concert. no regrets to have contributed to their development because they have consistently shown outstanding performances.”

The Director of the MUSON School of Music, Mrs. Marion Akpata described the show as one that displays the true meaning of love as love goes beyond chocolates, cupcakes and flowers. She attributed this year’s pre-valentine concert to what is obtainable in other parts of the world. She praised the ingenuity of the music artistes for maintaining the high standard of the school, adding

‘Yoruba language is becoming endangered because of parents’ attitude’ SPEAKERS at the third edition of ‘Yoruba Lakotun’, a quarterly live audience participatory programme which features an interaction with a writer and where different creative arts are showcased have accused Yoruba parents of creating a gap between their children and their roots through the systematic neglect of the language.

Speaking at the event held at Ethnic Heritage Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos on Sunday, March 6, the guest writer, Ayoade Okedokun explained that Yoruba parents have mixed up the role of the school and that of the home. He said while the school should teach children English, parents ought to teach them Yoruba.

“The payment made in the school is to teach the children English language; while the children should learn Yoruba language from their parents and immediate community. Unfortunately, many people have

implores political leaders and every member of the society to have a change of attitude.

He does not leave out Fulani herdsmen he addresses in Hausa language, imploring everyone to turn to God. ‘Erin’, the last track is an encouragement to everybody to laugh, but to do so with moderation. The song is equally a plea that God should make use rejoice. Perhaps aware that Nigerians need a lot of laughter at this material time given the seeming drifting of the nation, the singer enumerates the benefits of laughter and cites the example of Abraham who laughed courtesy God. ‘Konkonboto’ is an original work by a gospel performance poet who has rendered his poetry in a corrective way for everyone who wants to hear the truth in tunes. He mixes his code in a very attractive way, producing a great music for people desirous of ingenious and meaningful music. This is another quality product from Okeho.

muddled up these roles which are distinctly separate. Parents should cooperate to ensure that their children understand the language; children should not be separated from their roots,” he said.

The author of ‘Ika Abamo’, ‘Omo Elede’ and other books in Yoruba and English languages added that there are certain words that cannot be translated into Yoruba language because it has no equivalent in English and vice versa, hence parents need to be well grounded to make the distinctions to their children.

Contributing, Ms Adebunmi Adeniran, Chief Executive of Nailangs, a company that manufactures virtual keyboards that can type 12 Nigerian languages with the tonal marks, expressed shock at the rate Yoruba parents make their children speak English compulsorily when Yoruba in the Diaspora are keen about making their chil-

dren understand the language.

“Our mother tongue needs to be a reference point for many generations to come and we have to ensure that it is preserved with the use of technology and also orally as passed down from one generation to another,” she said.

Adesewa Oyinkansola, a student of Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, performed two poems in Yoruba to the delight of the audience who commended her.

Explaining how she became proficient in Yoruba language, she disclosed that, “I challenged my mum that I do not want to be a stranger to my culture. She agreed and today, I prefer to read my Yoruba Bible and wear Yoruba clothes.”

Hosted by writer Olutayo Irantiola, the first edition of the program in 2016 was dedicated to Benin Republic where Yoruba language was recently adopted as the second language.

that the ultimate goal of the school was to bring back good music to the society.

“We are proud of our students who have come of age. They have become self-sufficient, improved on what we taught them and exceeded our expectations and yearly the alumni organize this concert to give back to the school building project. We are indeed grateful to the MTN Foundation for their continuous support and sponsorship in making this concert possible.”

‘How I became Italy’s first black Cinderella’ continued from pg26

Why did you stop?

Because I was feeling choked; I am a multitalented artiste. ‘Cinderella’ was a very successful show; it was one of the second best shows of the National Theatre. I was playing in it as the first black Cinderella in Italy. They tried out the project and it was like, wow!

What do you miss most about Nigeria?

What I miss is the chaos, the people, the liveliness of the people.

When you say chaos, you must be talking about Lagos or is there chaos in Benin?

There is chaos in Benin as well. This Christmas, what I saw; and chaos is not only about traffic. Even the way of our expression, the way we are as Nigerians. We are exactly as Lagos. This is how we are individually. Even the way we talk.

28

Sunday Tribune

Sunday Tribune

13 March, 2016

glamour

With Tayo Gesinde temiligali03@yahoo.com 08054727801

How my smile won me the two

Trust me, there is nothing more gratifying than knowing that you just made a positive difference in someone’s life.

So these titles have equipped me with the platform and resources to achieve this. For that, I am grateful to God. Life as a staff of a popular telecommunications company and beauty queen It hasn’t been very easy I must confess, considering the demanding nature of my job as a training specialist in the Customer Care Department. I mentioned earlier that I am lucky to be blessed with an amazing support system that would also include my darling husband, my adorable children and my understanding bosses at work. They see the humanitarianism in the things I do.

crowns

What I want to be remembered for I would want to be remembered as one who contributed immensely to the success story of the revival of the tourism industry, particularly at a time like this when our beloved country, Nigeria, is experiencing falling oil prices. I want to be remembered as the woman who gave other women that constant reminder that marriage doesn’t mean your life ambitions should be halted or even abandoned. I definitely want to be remembered as the Mother Theresa of our time.

—Ebelechukwu Enemchukwu

Ebelechukwu Enemchukwu, a mother of three, is Mrs Nigeria United Nations 2015 and Mrs Tourism United Nations World 2015. In this interview with ’WALE OLAPADE, she speaks on her husband’s disposition towards her status as a beauty queen and how she has been combining her roles beauty queen with the home front, among other issues.

Excerpts:

29

W

HY I participated in the Miss United Nations beauty pageant My decision to compete came after I went through the information as regards what the pageant stands to achieve. The beauty pageant represents charity, volunteerism, and relationship-building, celebration of womanhood and celebration of family. I instantly connected with that vision and decided to give it a shot. Fortunately for me, I became a finalist in the international competition held in Kingston, Jamaica, after I won the Mrs. Nigeria United Nations title at the grand finale which took place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, last year, after a week-long grooming period.

Coping with advances from male admirers Truth is, queen or no queen, these things happen. I mean people will always extend compliments and appreciate you.

So for me, when that happens, I appreciate God for the gifts (physical and otherwise) which He has endowed me with. But you know, admiration isn’t bad in itself, what’s important is the motive behind it. So for serious admirers, I inform them that I’d report them to my husband and like magic, there’s no longer anything to admire.

What being a beauty queen means to me It means commitment, service and charity.

It means an opportunity to use the platform given to me to lend a helping hand. It means leveraging on the publicity derived from same, to send out the message of hope, love, inspiration, peace and true beauty to the larger audience which the platform has provided.

What gave me an edge over other contestants My challenges were probably the same as those faced by my fellow contestants - insufficient rest, too many rehearsals, partial ‘disconnect’ from family and friends and so on. As for what gave me an edge, I’d attribute that to my level of confidence, which came from my unwavering belief, first in God and then in myself. I employed a lot of positive talk and constantly reminded myself that I came to win.

Moreso, I’m generous with my smiles and it sure paid off as it was a fundamental requirement for capturing the judges, fellow contestants and audience alike.

I equally happen to be very active in the area of fitness workouts, so I was able to endure all the strenuous activities that came with our grooming period in camp, while still staying pretty for the grand finale. I happen to be very comfortable in high heels, and it worked in my favour during all the catwalk classes. I was actually made to coach people on how to stand and walk comfortably while wearing heels.

My love for Nigeria and tourism I am a Nigerian inside out. A proud one at that! One disappointing moment which readily comes to mind, especially because I discussed tourism not too long ago, was the indefinite postponement of the invite I received to see the Permanent Secretary at one of the tourism-related ministries in Lagos. That was really disappointing, considering the energy with which I was hoping to make a difference in the area of tourism. Well, as you may have noticed, that hasn’t deterred me.

My responsibilities as Mrs United Nations and Mrs Tourism United Nations World 2015 As both a national and international queen, my activities are in areas of charity and tourism. But in all, lives must be positively impacted, and value added to humanity in general. I have carried out several charity projects in schools, orphanages, treatment homes and hospitals and so on. Because charity is not limited to material items alone, I have equally delivered lectures at both public and private schools on topics like Achieving Your Dreams and Being the Best You Can Be. I’d do my best to lead an exemplary life during and after my period of reign. In all, I’d leave a model which will constantly remind women and girls that beauty transcends the physical. You are as beautiful as you say you are. I left behind the can-do-attitude wherein each person is reminded that they can achieve whatever they desire with God and with consistent hardwork.

earned us that unfair label, but with time and our constant efforts, needed rebranding will be achieved.

On whether my present status is a threat to my marriage I do not think there is any threat at all. There was nothing in the vision of the pageant system that made me uncomfortable. I was clear from the onset aboutn what I set out to achieve. I told my husband about it, got his approval, and went right for it. But, of course, I don’t blame people for the impression they have about beauty queens and pageantry in general. Some pageant systems have

Combining my responsibility as beauty queen with the home front.

My three energetic children are a handful, but I believe my time management skills have proven to be a very effective tool in managing my life as wife, mother, beauty queen and corporate executive. Luckily, I’m blessed with an amazing support system as well.

the

What I’d like to do time and time again I would like to be married again and again to the most supportive and loving husband, Mr Emeka Enemchukwu, and, of course, be a mother, a million times over to my three wonderful children.

much

Why I have my husband’s support As I said earlier, I discussed my intention to compete with him, and he gave me the go ahead. I should mention here that while we were courting, I won the Lagos State Miss NYSC Batch ‘A’ title in 2005. That was my first and only attempt at pageantry until 10 years later in 2015 when I decided to do this, but under the Mrs Category.

On whether I will contest again if I had the chance

I definitely will!

My reasons will remain the same as those that prompted me to do it this time, the quest to touch lives and put lingering smiles on faces of people across the globe.

Gains of being a beauty queen

Projects I am working on I intend to partner with the various stakeholders of tourism in all tiers of government agencies in a bid to promote and revive the tourist sites, and by extension, the tourism industry in Nigeria and in fact, beyond. This will be in addition to my humanitarian/charity activities which are in top gear at the moment. My national and international titles have a one-year tenure. My national title (Mrs Nigeria United Nations) will wrap up in May, 2016, while my international title (Mrs Tourism United Nations World) will end in July, 2016. But I have no plans to soft-pedal on any of my courses even at the expiration of my tenure.

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13 March, 2016

BY OLAIDE SOKOYA 0807 449 7425 (sms only)

ollydesanmi@yahoo.com

‘Do not be intimidated

by little challenges’ Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of WeCyclers. Returning to her roots in Nigeria after 13 years in the United States, Bilikiss was inspired to work on finding a much-needed and effective new solution to the problem of waste management. She speaks about her journey to transform the lives of people with garbage, create jobs, and help build the economy of her country. OLAIDE SOKOYA reports:

H

ow and when did you start the business?

The idea for Wecyclers was developed while I was in the United States as a student at the MIT Sloan School of Management, following a fiveyear career as a corporate software engineer at IBM. I was assigned to a study project to help people at the bottom of the pyramid (people living on less than $2 a day), I decided to work on waste with focus on its uses, collection and processing. After the project was completed, we (the project team) did some research and saw the huge potential in the waste recycling sector in Nigeria, especially among the manufacturing plants who are hungry for a cheaper and easily available source of raw materials due to local and foreign demand for end products. I then decided to move the idea forward and Wecyclers was born.

What motivated you to go into digital/app development industry?

I studied computer science while I was in school. I also worked at IBM for some time where I developed a software for Fortune 500 Companies. So I thought, why don’t I implement part of what I learned in school and some of what I did at IBM? That was how it got started.

What did you envision when you first started?

I knew it was not going to be easy. I was prepared for the ups and downs and so I didn’t get to be put down when I faced some challenges. It is a work in progress. With the kind of work I am into, it can only get better. More people are getting aware of what we do and what services we have to offer.

What does your brand represent? Who is it meant to attract? Demographic, social standing?

Our goal is to have access to 85 percent of the total population in Lagos taking into consideration all low income communities. We’ve had access to over 7000 households especially those from the low income communities.

What challenges have you faced as a (new) business, and what have you been able to do to overcome those challenges?

Two major challenges we have as an organisation are funding and changing the mind set of the people about proper and effective waste management in the country. Due to the fact that a lot of people still dispose their trash wrongly, we are still not able to collect from a large number of people in the State. Improper waste disposal is a major factor affecting the drainage system in the state and country as a whole.

When waste materials especially non-biodegradable materials, they block the easy flow of water thereby causing it to be stagnant and leading to outbreak of diseases such as malaria.

What sets you apart from the rest of the pack?

We are constantly looking for ways to improve the service we provide. Our plan to be the biggest recycling company in Africa means being dynamic and open to ideas. One of such is implementing our waste diversion model into cities which do not have proper recycling schemes. We also incentivize our subscribers to keep them motivated and gradually realize the importance of proper waste management and recy-

cling. Our business model greatly reduces unmanaged refuse piles in densely populated, poor urban areas, which can lead to environmental degradation and disease spread.

How have you got involved with the local business community, and how has that helped your business?

The bulk of our services are rendered to those in the low income communities. The Wecycles are designed and manufactured locally and are operated by youth from local communities. The Wecycle operators cover specific neighborhood collection routes to collect material from households.

At collection, operators weigh each household’s materials.

The weight of material that each household recycles is entered into our SMS point’s platform to automatically generate a personalised SMS. Do you have more sales/ customers? How do you retain the old customers and attract new customers? What makes you stand out in this market?

Wecyclers is a social enterprise. We have made it a point of duty to keep our old customers motivated and interested by commending them for their hard work. We incentivize them based on the amount of recyclables they are able to provide.

We make sure we fulfill all our duties to them at the right time.

What advice would you offer to women thinking about opening or starting a business?

Once you have a laid out plan and it makes sense to you and you strongly believe it’s going to work, try it out and give it all your best. You never know what will become of it unless you try it out. Do not be intimidated by little challenges!

What is your long-term/future plan?

Our future plan is to be the largest recycling company in Africa. With the right mindset and hard work, things will surely fall into place. We see a big opportunity here in Nigeria. We hope that in five years, we would be able to build a strong recycling network.”

Culled from: tradenigeria.ng.

Your Life Counts

Sunday Tribune

by Tunde Jaiyebo 0803 406 2013

Leadership ability LEADERSHIP is a very critical issue especially in the times we are living in. The quality of any group, organization or people is a direct reflection of the quality of leadership they are under. Leadership is a critical tool that harnesses and maximizes individual potential for corporate good – so the individual is fulfilled and the corporate body benefits. Poor quality leadership will produce poor quality people and a high quality leadership will produce high quality people.

Qualitative leadership does not just happen. Qualitative leadership is the result of certain factors and a fundamental factor is the issue of ability. The ability of the leader will determine how effective he will be. Ability is the power or capacity to do something. Ability will express itself in the application of know-how. Ability will result in competence. Ability is the key to getting anything done properly.

Ability is indispensable to translating ideas into reality.

“Well-matured and well-disciplined talent is always sure of a market, provided it exerts itself; but it must not cower at home and expect to be sought for. There is a good deal of cant, too, in the whining about the success of forward and impudent men, while men of retiring worth are passed over with neglect. But it happens often that those forward men have that valuable quality of promptness and activity, without which worth is a mere inoperative property. A barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion. Endeavor to make your talents convertible to ready use, prompt for the occasion, and adapted to the ordinary purposes of life; cultivate strength rather than gracefulness; in our country it is the useful, not the ornamental, that is in demand.” Washington Irving We all have ability so there is no excuse for failure. The problem is many people do not discover what their abilities are and even when some do discover it they do not make a demand on it or they use their ability in the wrong endeavors.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz “Latent abilities are like clay. It can be mud on shoes, brick in a building or a statue that will inspire all who see it. The clay is the same. The result is dependent on how it is used.” James Lincoln Ability can be in-born. In-born ability comes naturally with little effort but it still needs to be developed. Ability also can be acquired. Where a leader lacks ability he can either acquire it or get someone else who has the requisite ability to carry out that part of his assignment for him. Ability powers leadership. A leader cannot function beyond his ability.

When ability is harnessed in the right direction and in the right way it will bring results.

“If you possess marked ability, it will show in your work.

Capable people do not need to talk about themselves.

Make your service so good that it will be your press agent.”

F.D. Van Amburgh We cannot over emphasize the importance of ability especially in leadership. The failure of leadership can usually be traceable to a problem with ability. If any organization or group will move forward and accomplish her set goals and objectives then, the right people must be in the right place by placing them in positions of authority and offices based on their ability.

For enquiries/comments please send email to urlifecounts@yahoo.com

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Sunday Tribune

thepolity PVC, card reader and future elections

Against the background of the Supreme Court judgments which disregarded records from the card readers as unreliable, necessitating calls for amendment of the Electoral Act to accommodate the device, DARE ADEKANMBI writes on the amendments being proposed and the need to do so before the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.

T

O enhance the credibility of elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the chairmanship of Professor Attahiru Jega decided to employ the resources of technology. The outcome of that decision was the introduction of the permanent voter card (PVCs) with the smart card reader machine.

Apart from ensuring that the country saves a humungous amount of money it would have been spending to produce voter cards every four years, the PVCs and smart card readers are to ensure the s anctity of the electoral process. Thus, the card readers ensure that faked PVCs fail its integrity test. Together, the devices serve to make the actual votes equal to the votes scored by candidates in the elections.

But the decision to use these devices for the 2015 elections generated mixed reactions. The then governing party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), argued that, since the devices were being newly introduced, it would be reasonable to subject them to a mock examination election and ascertain their workability before letting them loose on the voters in real election situations. The party did not get the envisaged buy in from the majority of Nigerians to its argument, especially when it called for and eventually achieved the postponement of the elections by three weeks. Rather, most Nigerians sided with the hitherto opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which counter-argued that the PDP’s argument was not only an indication that the party wanted to rig the elections but to also perpetuate itself in power, despite losing the support of the governed.

Thereafter came the mock election held in 12 states of the federation, two in each of the six geopolitical zones, to fine-tune the card reader machines. The fact that the devices worked perfectly in some polling units and failed abysmally in much of the sampled population emboldened those who oppose its wholesale use in the last elections to reinforce their argument. But again, the nay-sayers were outnumbered by the ayes.

Attempt to stop card reader use through the court There were court cases instituted by four political parties to stop the use of the card readers. The parties were carpeted by the opposition APC and groups sympathetic to it and accused of masquerading for PDP-led government to thwart attempt at making the integrity of the electoral process foolproof.

In a suit filed before an Abuja Federal High Court, the parties-Alliance for Democracy, United Democratic Party, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria and Action Alliancethrough their counsel Alex Iziyon (SAN) premised their objection to the use of the device on the argument that there were no provisions for the device in either the 1999 Constitution or the Electoral Act. Iziyon told the court that the plan to use the device contravened provisions of the 1999 Constitution and Electoral Act, arguing that INEC lacked the power to introduce extraneous item into the electoral process, especially when no law backed such decision. He contended that the use of the card reader amounted to a systematic introduction of electronic voting which Section 52 (1) of the Electoral Act prohibited.

“INEC wants Nigerian voters to subject themselves to

Professor Yakubu Mahmood, INEC Chairman

electronic voter card reader, an electronic component which is expressly prohibited. Anything to do with electronic magnetic capturing properties cannot be allowed in the conduct of the election,” he had said.

But while ruling on the ex parte application before him, Justice Adeniyi Ademola conceded that although the case was triable, the applicants, whom he said had legal rights, would not suffer any irreparable harm if INEC was offered

fair hearing before interim orders being sought would be granted. Consequently, he adjourned the matter to March 10 to allow INEC file processes in defence of its action and the orders sought were never granted by the court.

However, on March 28, in the middle of the National Assembly and presidential elections, Professor Jega had to direct INEC adhoc and permanent staff to revert to manual accreditation when the card readers performed woefully and largely across the country. continues pg 32

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Sunday Tribune

Imperative of Electoral Act amendment before Edo, Ondo polls continued from pg 31

PVC distribution hitches The distribution of the PVCs across the country was not without hitches. While the North, including states ravaged by insurgency recorded between 80 and 90 per cent distribution statistics, states in the South of Nigeria with relative peace witnessed between 60 and 75 per cent rates. This sparked ethnically motivated debate with many accusing Jega of plot to rig in a northerner. It was reasoned that, while INEC allowed district heads to collect PVCs for their subjects, such allowance was never made in southerner part of the country where the fiat was ‘no collection through proxy.’

By February 27, 54.3 million Nigerians, which represented 78.9 per cent of registered voters had been issued PVCs. Over 68 million Nigerians were captured in the voter register. While states like Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Taraba and Zamfara States exceeded 90 per cent collection rate, it was about 80 per cent in states such as Abia, Adamawa, Enugu, Kano, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto and Rivers State have over 80 per cent collection rate. Ogun had the lowest in the country with about 45 per cent collection rate.

There were concerns in some quarters that the production of the PVCs was compromised. Electoral officers in the 774 local government areas were given access to the database and such access was said to have been used to produce unauthorised PVCs which were correctly read by the card during the elections. The illegal production of such card was said to have begun immediately the INEC headquarters began to distribute the cards.

PVC, card readers and post-election litigation As election petition tribunal began to deliver judgment in the petitions brought before them by dissatisfied candidates, the use of PVC and card reader came into sharp focus. The first to be decided was the petition filed by the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje against the election of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode of APC. The Appellate Court discountenanced the certified true copy of the records from the card reader provided

by Agbaje to prove irregularities in the accreditation figures and the votes allotted. The Supreme Court upheld the reasoning of the Appeal Court.

But the Rivers and Akwa Ibom states governorship election tribunals relied on the readings of the card readers to nullify the election of Nyesome Wike and Udom Emmanuel respectively. Reacting to the judgment in Rivers counsel for the PDP, Chris Uche, SAN, said “It was wrong of the tribunal to lay heavy weather on the use of card reader when INEC itself admitted that both card reader and manual can be used where there are challenges,” he stated.

The Supreme Court has since reversed all judgments not in tune with its pronouncement in the Agbaje versus Ambode appeal it decided, wherein it said the card reader could not be a basis to determine accreditation figure. It reasoned that since it was not included in the Electoral Act, only the voter register could serve as a source of determining discrepancy in accreditation figures and the votes returned.

The need to amend the Electoral Act Since the apex court made its stance known on the PVC and the card reader, many have called for the amendment of the Electoral Act to include the devices in the law.

Sunday Tribune asked a lawyer, Mr Dave Ajetunmobi, who is a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, what needed to be done.

“If the Electoral Act is amended, it will make specific provisions for PVC and card readers, more or less formally enacting the guidelines used for 2015 elections into law. Petitioners will then be able to rely on the record of card readers. For now, accreditation of voters can be determined through the voter register. Then it will be much easier to detect fraud.

“I don’t think there will be plenty election petitions as it happened during the 2015 elections when the PVC and card reader were introduced for the first time. People

Dr Bukola Saraki, Senate President

have about four years to pick their PVCs, not few days.

New voters won’t be as many as they were in 2015. So, I expect much less number to have problem of PVC, except people who are not really interested,” he said.

On the legality or otherwise of the guidelines issued by INEC for election, especially in the light of the discrediting of such guidelines as mere opinion by some tribunals, Ajetunmobi said: “INEC chairman is empowered by law to issue guidelines for any election to make up for situations not covered already by the Electoral Act. But if such guidelines are covered already, the guidelines will be void.

“Guidelines are delegated legislation provided for expressly by the Electoral Act. Hence it is legal. But where it is in conflict with the principal Act, it is null and void,” he added.

The President, Rights Monitoring Group (RMG) and Country Director, Centre on Convention for Democratic Integrity, Mr Femi Aduwo, added an angle to the amendment that should be done to the Act by the National Assembly.

“What the National Assembly should also include in the amendment being proposed is a provision that makes accreditation of voters and voting to be done simultaneously. We proposed this in out post-election report to INEC and the United Nations and we are glad that it worked wonder when INEC applied it in the Bayelsa supplementary governorship election.

“Much of electoral fraud is perpetrated under the cover of darkness aided by the stretching of voting period till late afternoon. When they tell you they are taking the results to collation centres, dusk will have fallen and all manner of fraud are committed.

“On the card reader, we are of the view that it should not be the sole determinant. Voter register should still be the main thing because the card reader is a machine which can malfunction, while the voter register is on pa-

It is necessary the changes to the law are made expeditiously before the governorship elections coming up in Edo and Ondo states later this year

Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives

per which is not susceptible to the vagaries of weather or manipulation.

Aduwo added that “since the aim of the amendment being sought is to ensure better transparency in the electoral process, the National Assembly should look at what can be done to enforce the spending limit by politicians and parties. Both PDP and APC violated the spending ceiling in the last election. Unless the provision is enforced, we will continue to grope in the dark.”

“We have also advocated that those who were found to have engaged in election malpractices should be banned from holding elective and appointive positions for life.

Unbanning them after some years will not deter politicians who are inclined to act similarly in the future,” he said.

The 2010 Electoral Act was lasted amended in 2014 by the National Assembly and the amendments done then included the tenuring of the office of INEC secretary and that the appointment of the chairman and members of the Area Council Election Appeal Tribunal should be done by the Abuja High Court.

Also included is the provision of N500, 000 penalty or 12 months imprisonment or both for any polling officer, political party or party agent who conspires to falsify election results.

As Edo, Ondo gov polls beckon…

While the National Assembly has started discussing amendments to the Electoral Act in the light of the apex court verdict on card reader and PVC, it is necessary the changes to the law are made expeditiously before the governorship elections coming up in Edo and Ondo states later this year. It has been argued by analysts that the polls would be veritable vehicle to test the amendments and strengthen the election processes in the country, especially if the simultaneous accreditation and voting system is adopted as proposed.

Pundits have also submitted that the amendments be tailored along the proposals made and not tilted towards selfish ends. Some analysts are of the view that with the politics situation in the National Assembly, the amendments would be people-oriented and increase sanity in the electoral process.

For INEC, analysts opine an overhaul of the PVC distribution and tidying of the production process. It is the opinion of some analysts that INEC should de-centralise the production of PVCs to address the delay in the collection of the cards by voters. Those pushing this argument, however, added a caveat that vesting state INEC with such powerful should not be done without adequate supervision by the INEC headquarters. There are observers who raise a contrary view that such would further put a dent on the process and canvassed that the status quo remains.

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13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Supreme Court judgment has emboldened election riggers —Peterside

Honourable Dakuku Peterside, a former chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general election in Rivers State. In this interview with Deputy Editor, DAPO FALADE, he speaks on the Supreme Court judgment, which upheld the election of Governor Nyesome Wike, security crisis in the state and other national issues. Excerpts:

Y

OU have been silent after the Supreme Court judgment.

What could have been your reason(s) for this?

That is not correct. It has always been my style to engage at the intellectual level.

I have addressed a number of national issues in my regular contribution to newspaper articles, press releases, television appearances and press conferences. I always put the interest of Rivers State and Nigeria ahead of other considerations, even at the risk of my comfort. I owe those who supported my aspiration a duty to speak up on their behalf and I am not going to give up on those. Whenever it is necessary, I have always bared my mind.

the needful. The blame is not at the doorstep of the lawmakers. I am among those who believe that bipartisan cooperation is needed at this time, as well as cooperation among different arms of government to move our country forward.

Coming to Rivers State, you have accepted the Supreme Court judgment, but some Nigerians are saying the judgment was to avert further bloodshed if a rerun was ordered.

What is your take on this?

What you have just said is not reflected in the reasons given for the judgment.

What seems to be a consensus among Nigerians is that the Supreme Court judgment did not address the issue of violence and rigging in elections. The judgment inadvertently endorsed political violence as a means to achieving victory; it has further emboldened election riggers. We now have more bloodshed in the build-up to the legislative rerun in the state than we had during the last elections. The indication so far is that, if something urgent is not done to stem the orgy of violence, then the violence we experienced last time will be a joke.

Looking at the state of the nation, can you really say Nigerians are getting the desired change they voted for?

Nigerians are getting the desired change, though the pace may not be what we would have desired. Change is a process; moving from a particular way of doing things to another is not a one off event—a new culture you can say. We had a culture of impunity and corruption till recently, but that is gradually giving way. We need to work with and support the government to achieve the country of our dream. The economy is at a critical juncture, due to past activities of those we trusted with authority, but there is also a global dimension to it. The security situation deserves more than a passing interest. My take is that Nigerians should work together to pull our country out of this ditch and quickly too. The country has great potential and great people and what we need is a leadership that inspires.

Nigerians have hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption, while many are worried that the fight is taking much of his time, with other critical sectors suffering. What is your take on this?

It is true that the president has devoted quite a bit of his time to the fight against corruption. It is explainable that it is one of the most challenging scourges plaguing our country today. Again, corruption has a direct inverse relationship with development. If you want to place development on a fast lane, you must deal with a major potential obstacle. That potential major obstacle is corruption. I am also aware that the president and his ministers are tackling the other facets of development, but we may not appreciate the efforts until results begin to yield. We all appreciate result and not work.

Some people have also condemned the frequent foreign trips of Mr President. Do you subscribe

You claimed that Governor Wike was privy to the judgment prior to its delivery. Can you substantiate this?

I repeat this over and over again that, listening to Governor Nyesom Wike at different times, thanking those who were his technical advisers in the pursuit of the Supreme Court case, you will arrive at one conclusion namely, that he knew ahead of time that the Supreme Court verdict would end in his favour. He has never denied it and it is unfortunate for the role of the judiciary and growth of democracy.

All I did was to draw the attention of the world to Wike’s reckless and irresponsible statements, for sound minds to draw their own inference. So far, from informed commentaries all over the country, there is unanimity of opinion that something is amiss with the election that took place in Rivers State and the judgment that endorsed it.

Honourable Dakuku Peterside to this view?

If you don’t know the purpose of a thing, you are most likely to abuse it. The president and his team have an objective they want to achieve and if it will take inter-connectedness in this global village to achieve it, so be it. What Nigerians should demand at all times is full disclosure of purpose of the visit and the result accomplished. I agree that there must be a delicate balance between dealing with economy and realising our objectives as a people within a global community.

As a former federal lawmaker, are you not worried about the handling of the 2016 budget by the lawmakers?

I am truly worried that, from information at my disposal, some civil servants bungled the budget making process. Budget is a very important tool in national development planning and re-engineering and so it deserves detailed attention. I am, however, confident that the National Assembly will rise to the occasion and do

There has been allegation of bribery concerning the four states lost

by APC-Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Taraba and Abia. But is it possible to bribe all the 16 judges, including the CJN, who presided over the cases?

Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has not yet accused the justices of collecting bribe, unless you are the one insinuating it. I am aware that continues pg 34

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Sunday Tribune

‘Wike is clueless about security matters’ invasion of Yeghe being a case in study...

This is not true. What are you are saying is a storyline by some selfish politicians who want the Nigerian military out of the area so their own army can continue to hold sway to the detriment of the ordinary people.

continued from pg 33

there are talks in the street that the judgments in the case of Rivers and Akwa Ibom states must be a product of compromise.

One thing I know is that the judiciary is on the spot and must go the extra length to continue to enjoy maximum confidence of Nigerians.

But the people of Ogoni are protesting the military invasion of their community. Are you also in support of the invasion?

Let us always tell the truth. The military went to Yeghe to arrest Solomon Ndigbara (aka Osama bin Laden of Ogoni) and his boys opened fire on the military. Perhaps, you expect the military to fold their arms and allow militants over-run them?

The military responded to the attack and in the process a few casualties occurred.

The military got a cache of arms enough to declare war over any territory from Solomon’s armoury and yet a few persons think it is okay for an individual to stockpile such arms. Who did the militants want to use the arms on?

It is also being said in some quarters that the losers were actually those who offered bribe to influence the judgment but were rebuffed.

Are you one of them?

I challenge anybody to come out boldly with evidence in the case of Rivers State.

There is no truth in it as it relates to Rivers State...

The leadership of the apex court is said to be in possession of a security report on those who offered bribe.

Will you want such a report to be made public?

I am not aware. If they have such report, let them or the security agencies make it public for the interest of our country. I definitely will want such reports made public.

You once offered to work with Governor Wike to move the state forward, by ways of advice and constructive criticisms. But you have been silent since...

I have not reneged on my offer. Whenever there is need for me to criticise or advise Governor Wike, I will not shy away from that responsibility. I owe that duty to thousands of Rivers people who desire good and honest leadership and found that in my aspiration, but were denied the opportunity by forces of darkness. Rivers State and the concept of good governance is bigger than the ‘Dakuku Peterside for Governor Project’ which has become a movement in Rivers State.

The state is, no doubt, in serious security crisis. Are you impressed with the way the governor has been handling the issue?

Governor Wike has no clue on how to tackle the insecurity in Rivers State. This is why the killing and general insecurity is growing geometrically by the day. His dormancy and cluelessness have fueled the speculation all over the state that he is the promoter and sponsor of the political genocide going on in Rivers State. The governor has not taken any step known to me or Rivers citizens to stop the carnage.

Rather, he was on radio the other day saying, after all, no prominent politician has been assassinated. All of us the leaders will give account to God for our secret and open actions.

Do you think the current security crisis has anything to do with the forthcoming rerun election in the state?

It definitely has to do with the forthcoming election. You may have noticed a pattern since 2014/2015; as we approach elections, killing and insecurity heighten.

It has been made worse by the constant threat of Wike that his supporters and thugs should take the laws into their own hands and resist arrest. He practically advised his followers at Etche to burn people alive and the next day, Ofinjite Amachree, an APC stalwart, was burnt alive in Bugu-

Honourable Peterside ma. You can see the nexus.

How can you disabuse the view that the crisis was orchestrated by some people, geared towards facilitating the declaration of a state of emergency?

There is no crisis in the first place. Security agencies, going to arrest a known criminal who has been terrorising the people and the criminal opening fire on the military, cannot constitute a crisis.

What is going on now is that Wike wants to bring in politics into a purely security affair. The mindless killings and increasing kidnapping going on in the state are attributable to unguarded and insatiable quest for power. Some politicians in Rivers State believe they must get power at all costs; that is the root cause of the insecurity in the state today. People are slaughtered, beheaded, burnt, clubbed to death daily in the state and nobody is saying anything about it. The state government has gone to sleep when it comes to security, as if it is not part of its responsibility.

How will you describe the worrisome dimension to the killings namely, beheading of the victims?

Tragic, terrible, horrendous, frightening and simply inhuman. This is not who we are in Rivers. This is a state of life meant for only beasts but that is what we are experiencing. Twenty-four persons were killed in one night at Omoku; four persons killed in Obibi Etche in one day; somebody burnt alive in Buguma; another person buried alive in Gokana; someone clubbed to death in Opobo and so on and so forth. What a gory tale fit for primitive societies! It is not only worrisome, but it also diminishes our humanness.

You once lamented that the security agents do not respond on time whenever innocent people are attacked...

The security agents are doing their best,

but the security situation in Rivers has become an extraordinary case requiring national attention. What is currently going on in Rivers is worse than what is going on in Borno State. All hands must be on deck to sincerely and effectively tackle this national security challenge taking place on the soil of Rivers State.

Can you sincerely say that the deployment of the military to some communities in the state is justifiable?

It is more than justifiable. We will always advocate that they, however, operate within the rules of engagement.

But to some, rather than be the cure, the military presence has worsened the crisis, the death of over 18 people during the military

The period of politics and politicking is over. You may have used these boys to come to power, but you are now the governor of Rivers State who should be desirous of leaving a legacy.

Let him and his team rise up and tackle this menace, else history will be unkind to him

What is your candid advice to Governor Wike in the face of the crisis?

Let him be a statesman. The period of politics and politicking is over. You may have used these boys to come to power, but you are now the governor of Rivers State who should be desirous of leaving a legacy. Let him and his team rise up and tackle this menace, else history will be unkind to him. Rivers State has suffered enough, because he has abdicated his responsibility as governor due to moral baggage, but he can ask God for forgiveness and do the needful.

What is your take on the implementation of the UNEP Report on the cleanup of Ogoniland?

I am impressed by the steps taken so far. We have played too much politics with something that deals with the existence of a people. Cleaning Ogoniland and the entire Niger Delta region is an international commitment that should be treated as a national emergency; it deals with the very root of our humanity. Evaluating what has been done so far, I am convinced the president is taking the right steps. All I pray for is for us to get the right results.

What is your next move as 2019 approaches slowly?

I will rather keep that to myself. But my immediate task is to work hard with ordinary Rivers people to deliver all the APC candidates in the rerun election in the state so that we can rescue our people from the jaws of killers and power-mongers. Suffice it to say that I am always available for service to Rivers people and Nigerians. As you know, service is my passion; I want to see Rivers State and Nigeria fulfill its potentialities.

The legislative rerun is some few days away, what are the chances of your party and its candidates?

Rivers people know their leaders. I am full of hope that my party will win all seats at stake and come back to the mainstream of national politics. We are very prepared for the elections. Against the backdrop of constant threat by Governor Wike to kill and maim, all we are asking for is security so that no voter is hurt.

35

thepolity

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Why PDP chairmanship should remain in the North —Former South-West chairman

Former South-West zonal chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ishola Filani, speaks with MOSES ALAO on the leadership of the PDP and the party’s chances of survival, why the Yoruba nation must unite and the need to restructure Nigeria’s federal system. Excerpts:

I

T is nine months since President Muhammadu Buhari took over power from your party, the PDP, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) has kept on saying your party ruined the country. As someone who held a key position in the PDP, what is your defence?

I think whenever there is a change of government, it is usual to blame whatever problem you have on your predecessor.

So, no one is surprised. Even in advanced countries, they do it, but the emphasis is not as pronounced as we have it in Nigeria.

The PDP might have made one mistake or the other, but I don’t think that mistake is in how it governed; it was more about the organisation of its party. It was how the PDP organised its party that made it lose out as a ruling party. I am not aware of what the PDP-led government should have done that it did not do.

No matter what anybody says about the PDP, I don’t think that is the cure to the problem at hand. What is happening now with the APC is not a political problem; it is an economic problem occasioned by the falling price of oil. Of course, you can neither blame the PDP nor APC for the recession in the oil industry, which is the mainstay of our economy. All of us, including the PDP, APC, private sector, civil service and others, should accept responsibility that we all failed in diversifying and investing in other areas. Now, we have found ourselves in this economic quagmire, we do not have to blame the PDP or APC; I don’t think it is fair, because the oil glut is the reason we are having the economic difficulties we are having now. However, if we had envisaged that the oil price will go this low, right from the military governments to the immediate past government, we would have invested in some other areas that will sustain the economy.

Anyone can blame the PDP for what he or she thinks is wrong, but that will only be unfair. The greatest problem of Nigeria lies in its structure. That is why people have continued to talk about the need to restructure the country. If Nigeria is restructured and we practise true federalism, it will take us away from economic enslavement. If, for instance, Nigeria does not meet monthly and share money to states, we would not have the problems we have now. If states are allowed to be free enough to accommodate their challenges, go about their enterprises and operate their own economies, as is the practice in other federations, such as the United States, it would have made states self-sustaining and they would have taken up the gauntlet to explore their locations and harness the enterprises local to them.

For instance, let us take the North: if the 19 states in the North are operating in a truly federal system, agriculture would have been developed more than it is now,

Chief Ishola Filani

because they would find a way to develop the sector, such that it can pay wages, develop education and infrastructure and so on. Agriculture, which is natural to them there, would have been the mainstay of their economy and they would have been independent in development. However, when we have made everything national and everything is done in Abuja, there is no way any economy can develop. We have depended on the sharing of oil revenue for too long, such that only Lagos and to some extent, Rivers State, are economically independent and that is because of the things they could do on their own. So, if we do not restructure, Nigeria will continue to languish in problems.

But when people talk about true federalism and restructuring, there seems to be this ethnic dimension to it, with most people quick to pigeonhole such persons as ethnic bigots.

Are you bringing in such ethnic bias again?

This is not about ethnic bias; Nigeria needs to be restructured. Let me tell you, if there is proper restructuring, some states in the North will not be as poor as they are today. The essence of that restructuring is self-determination; you use what is

available in your state to develop the state.

Lagos and most of the Yoruba states, if left alone, can nurture themselves. So also are some states in the East and the North. But when all of us are deriving our income from the centre; it is wrong. Look at education, why can’t every state be allowed to develop education? Why should education be national? Look at mineral resources:why shouldn’t every state be allowed to develop its resources? The issue of restructuring is beyond ethnic agitation or bias and I am happy that the last administration convoked a national conference, which mostly addressed the issues.

But why have the recommendations of that conference not been implemented?

The Buhari administration should prove its determination to restructure this country by looking into those recommendations.

Still on the Yoruba question: there is concern about the Yoruba nation and the politics of the future, with some calling for promotion of Yoruba interests, irrespective of parties’ affiliations. As a PDP chieftain and elder statesman, what do you think lies ahead for the nation in the nottoo-distant future?

The Yoruba race has come this far and we have been lucky to have good leaders, such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The legacy that he left behind is the foundation of Yoruba civilisation today. He was able to, within the limited resources available, build a virile education system and ensure sustainable development. And that takes me back to the question on restructuring, if Nigeria was like it is now during Awolowo’s era, the developments you see in the South-West would not have been possible.

He would have been going to the central government to be able to do anything, but with a truly federal system, Awolowo was able to sit down with his colleagues and they saw above many other leaders in the country. They gave the West good education and from where did get the money to finance free education? From cocoa.

He was able to finance infrastructure; he built the tallest building in Africa then, Cocoa House; he built the first television station and stadium and there was also the development of the individuals, which gave everything to the Yoruba man as a favour. After Papa Awolowo, we had former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who also tried his best though he was a liberal leader who didn’t concentrate on the Yoruba alone. He was more of a unifying leader; he believed and worked for the unity and oneness of Nigeria and at the end of the day, there was peace during his time, because everybody thought and still thinks he was a leader that believed in fairness.

Another Yoruba leader that comes to my heart, even when we are not in the same political party, is former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu. In the last few years, Tinubu has been able to do a few things that will go down in history as unprecedented contributions to the good of the Yoruba nation. You know he was able to achieve, for the first time in history, a Yoruba-Hausa/Fulani political relationship and we now have one of our own as the vice-president. It is the first time that the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani were able to forge a strong alliance and it is a great achievement. Howsoever he did it; he is the Yoruba leader that was able to bring about the present government. Take Tinubu out of Buhari’s government and the present Presidency would not have been possible. Now, what would have been the position of the Yoruba politically if PDP had won the election? Tinubu has been able to do well for the Yoruba race but the question is where do we go from here?

I will advise that the Yoruba race should come together more. Forget about whether you are in APC or PDP; there must be a unifying factor and this is where the Yoruba Unity Forum, the Afenifere and the Yoruba elders come in, particular all the leaders across the political parties, because while one is trying not to be tribal, continues pg 36

36

thepolity

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Ondo needs to join other South-West states in voting APC —Olatunji Mrs Omowunmi Olatunji was a two-term member of Lagos State House of Assembly, who represented Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II of the state. The chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), who hails from Akure South in Ondo State, speaks on the governorship race, the chances of the APC and what the party is bringing to the table for Ondo people, among others. BOLA BADMUS brings excerpts:

L

OOKING at the governorship poll coming up in Ondo in October this year, can you assess the situation in the state right now?

Looking at Ondo State and the structure, we cannot liken Ondo State’s structure to Lagos, because Ondo State is more of a civil servant state. The larger percentage of the population is the workforce and I think the people are unhappy about the way the administration is going and how governance is being discharged in Ondo State. The atmosphere is a bit tense because of that unhappy condition and the fact that government has not been giving attention to people within the state. So, I think the state itself and the people are very ready for change, and if you look at the entire South-West, APC has gained grounds in Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Lagos, leaving out Ekiti and Ondo. The Ondo State election comes up in October, so we have the template that we are going to use in October.

I think everything is set for APC and we have to leverage on the inability of the current government to discharge its duties. I won’t lie to you, people are not happy with the Mimiko administration; I think it has really lost its popularity.

But more than 25 people want to be governor of Ondo State on the platform of APC, don’t you see struggle for the ticket eventually tearing the party apart?

It is their constitutional right. The constitution gives you room to vote and be voted for. So anybody that has interest in going for any office, it is his constitutional right but I believe the leadership is looking into that and at the end of the day, the number would be pruned down.

I see that number reducing before the primaries.

How will you react to the issue of PDP members defecting to the APC; do you think it has any ben-

very smooth. It will not be problematic at all, because the people are really ready, they are receptive to the new change mantra that will come.

You were a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly for two terms, why are you relocating from Lagos to Ondo? And how will you react to insinuations that you are a stranger in Ondo politics?

I am not a stranger; I’m not strange to them. You know when people want to be mischievous, they would talk about that. No matter how long you have been away from your place of origin, one day you will return home; people say there is no place better than home. I am back home; my people cannot tell me that to be a member of that family, you have to create me again, I have been created and I am happy, I am proud. Those who don’t know me, they are taking their time and pain to go and know my family house, because the story is that where is she coming from? We don’t know her; she doesn’t have a root and all these are lies.

Mrs Omowunmi Olatunji

efit given that the PDP is still in power?

In the last one month, we have a lot of people defecting from PDP to APC. That further confirms that PDP is depopulated; they don’t have as much followership as before. APC is now a party to look out for, because we are increasing by the day. Even recently, one of their strong supporters crossed to APC and he came with a large number of followers from PDP; they were not rented crowd, they were known faces in the community. So I see prospect and I expect the transition from PDP to APC to be

But have you done anything to improve the lives of the people of Ondo State, having held political offices in Lagos?

With the empowerment that I have introduced, it is going to capture a large number of people. On an individual basis, I have been doing that; paying school fees for people and all that. It is what I am used to. You get to hear this family has problem, that one is sick in the hospital, so I do that when they come on a weekly basis or on a daily basis. So I touch their lives but I want to look at a larger percentage of the people of Ondo State; that is why I am running an empowerment programme that will cut across the entire state to touch at least a minimum of a thousand people; including youths, women, old people, widows and orphans.

‘What Yoruba leaders must do urgently…’ continued from pg 35

one comes from Yorubaland first before one is a Nigerian. So, whoever is saying that we should not stress our tribal origin or seek to protect its interest in the scheme of things is only being deceitful, so my appeal to all Yoruba leaders is that we should all come together.

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has been appointed as national chairman of the PDP to complete the tenure of the North-East but this has created a division. Where do you belong in the present division of those who want Sheriff and those who don’t?

I am not interested in who Ali Modu Sheriff is; I am only interested in the unity of our party, even though I know Ali Modu Sheriff quite well and I believe he is capable to lead the party. I am interested in the unity of our party and if the North-East says Sheriff is their consensus candidate, jolly well and good. And if we say we want the PDP to remain as one political entity, we have to be careful in the way handle all these issues. Whosoever Sheriff is, as long as he is not a criminal, he is from the North-East and if you look at the atmosphere, when he was first chosen, there was a sharp division. But now, you will discover that everyone is keying into the issue and people are saying he should serve the remaining time allocated to the North-East. That is the consensus now and I think we should not say no to that; but I am afraid of one thing—what happens after May? That is a big question.

I do not have a problem with the emergence of Senator

Ali Modu Sheriff as the chairman of the party. So far as he is the choice of the North-East, what we didn’t want was for the party to perpetuate illegality by having anyone outside the North-East in office as the National Chairman. So, I commend the PDP Governors’ Forum led by Dr Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State for guiding the party effectively this far and for ensuring that our constitution is respected. You would see the difference that education and intellect make on leadership when you see how Mimiko has been leading the party and I must say that we the leaders of the party in the South-West are behind him to continue.

Secondly, I advocate that the chairmanship of the PDP should remain in the North until say early 2018, when the presidential candidate of the party would have emerged from the North-East or North-West. I am saying this in the light of the protests and complaints that Sheriff should stay for a few month and handover to a chairman of Southern extraction. You see, the PDP will be repeating the same mistake we made in 2015 when we failed to present a Northern candidate as president; that was what cost us the Presidency. If a Southerner is allowed to become the chairman of the party now, the North will see the PDP as a Southern party and that will be disastrous.

So, I believe that the PDP will be doing itself a lot of good if it retains the chairmanship position in the North until sometimes in 2018; that wil give the North a sense of belonging.

But do you even think the PDP can survive till 2019, despite the bashing on every side; the ar-

rests of its leaders and the corruption label?

Of course; the PDP will remain one party. How many people have left the party? The leadership of the party is still intact. The PDP cannot die; there is no way.

The APC has been able to paint the PDP as a party of corrupt individuals…

Corruption is a crime; nobody is saying any individual who is found guilty of any corrupt practice should not be made to face the music. Let the law take its course but this thing should go round.

What should go round?

The fight against corruption should go round; that is what people are saying. I have no sympathy for anyone who steals at random if it is proved; but people are saying it should not be concentrated in one area. We have institutions; we have states, and we have those who were in government before and the private sector; let everywhere be sanitised. While the fight against corruption is going on, we need to build institutions that will make corruption difficult and unattractive. If they catch you and me today and jail us and the reason we stole is not remedied, another person in our shoes will steal tomorrow and he may even steal more. But when the root cause of why we stole is addressed, it will prevent further stealing. What are these things? Joblessness; you find students who have left universities for years without employment, we have to address that. Provide basic amenities and enabling environment for people who want to work on their own.

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opinion

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Rescued schoolgirls and governance in Lagos

BY Niyi Anibaba

A

T the time the al-Qaeda outlaw Osama bin Laden was killed by a special assault team of the United States military in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011, pundits suggested that were presidential election to be held in the US ahead of the scheduled date in 2012, President Barack Obama, under whose watch the Jihadist was nailed, would easily have secures reelection.

Pollsters returned the verdict that although such economic issues as marginal job losses, poverty and oil prices fluctuation were trending as likely voting determinants, Obama’s major feat on the security front would clinch massive popular support for him and his Democratic Party. This turned out to be prophetic because more than a year later at the poll, America’s first black president was reelected, a strong influencing factor being the role he played in taming insecurity ascribed to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist activities against US territory and the country’s global interests.

When keen observers also take a critical look at the security situation in Lagos State under the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, they can’t but conclude that indeed he has made a difference that is turning out to be a game changer. It would absolutely count for him when he seeks reelection as it did for Obama, according to observers. He has tackled insecurity in Lagos such that as the day follows the night, arrests invariably follow the perpetuation of a crime. We are at the stage where committing felony would be unattractive to the criminally minded.

Now, the background to this observation is the abduction and rescue of the three female students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School (BMJSS) at Ikorodu on the outskirts of Lagos.

It took place at an inauspicious time: the state government was battling a seasonal feud between two factions of the Road Transport Workers Union at Oshodi that had temporarily arrested social and economic activities in the

community; communal violence had also broken out in the densely-populated area of Ketu Mile 12 market, claiming several lives, destroying properties running into hundreds of millions of Naira and injuring scores of residents. It lasted for days and led finally to the closure of the popular market.

While all these lasted, Governor Ambode shuttled between these hot spots and security outposts. But some scoffed at him and his government on the issue of the students’ abduction. On Wednesday March 2, 2016, one leading national newspaper wrote: “Despite the fact that the students were kidnapped on Monday night and the information had been widely circulated neither the Lagos State governor Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, nor his representatives had visited the school as of 8.00 p.m. on Tuesday. The state government had also yet to make a statement on the abduction.” Many went on to liken the BMJSS development to the tragic Chibok girls tale that saw the kidnap of more than 200 students in 2014. They have not been rescued since.

But it was a short-lived comparison because the entire arsenal of the security apparatus Ambode had been assembling was scrambled into action. It delivered the expected result as the girls were rescued some six days after their captivity. The police arrested the culprits and retrieved the valuable information while also recovering lethal weapons from the suspects. Such was the success of the operation that no ransom was paid to the kidnap-

pers.

Hear what Emmanuel Arigidi, one of the suspected kidnappers of the Ikorodu school girls said about the level of security in the state: “I know that security in Lagos State is now tight and I was telling others that there was no way we would get away with this kind of job considering the level of security in the state…”

The school population and parents of the victims as well as the generality of the society in Lagos and Nigeria are heaving a sigh of relief and hailing the security architecture that has offered such salutary conclusion to what was unfolding as one abduction too many following the unresolved Chibok riddle.

But really, this pleasant outcome was not a surprise to those who have monitored Ambode’s unprecedented contribution to a highly motivated and efficient police in the state. His administration has given a hefty crime-tackling equipment worth about N4.765b to the Force to assist security agencies in effectively doing their job. A government with this mindset is the objective of the ideal state, where government’s sole occupation is to cater for the all-round welfare of the people, through securing them against antisocial elements and the economic vicissitudes of life. This is the primary aspiration of government, whether they are in Khaki or in politicians’ agbada.

The safe return of the BMJSS girls has delivered two take-aways: Lagos, with its burgeoning population of more than 20 million people, is safe for business, leisure and habitation; secondly, it has a government which, as it partners with the police, does not take taxpayers’ money and security fund for granted. It is becoming increasingly clear that anyone who doubts the government resolve to protect the state, would have himself to blame.

And at a time when cynicism has been on the rise with the continued missing of the Chibok girls, observers are quick to remind Nigerians that with the right leadershiplike the one that was demonstrated in Lagos in the past week by the governor-the country can still get it right.

• Anibaba, an economist, wrote in from Gbagada.

Between Gov Bello and his traducers

By William Charles A piece published in a national daily with the headline Kogi’s Many Absurdities on Sunday, 21st February, 2016, was a hatchet-job gone wrong. All the angst and bile and mindless hacking of the pen assassin were in full play. Fortunately, the intended victims – the people of Kogi State, their Governor and his Chief of Staff –were surrounded by the Force-field of Truth and barely felt the blows. In the end, apart from a bruising of reputations here and there, the vicious attack fell far short of achieving the intended carnage among victims.

If anything, as the ramblingly discordant drivel began to dry up, it became certain that the only serious casualty was the pen assassin himself. His laborious exertions had thrown him into paroxysms and seizures as he wheezed from one wild accusation to the next like some intellectual asthmatic and when he finally tumbled off his victims he lay face down in the Lokoja dust for a while before expiring like the improbable eventuality that was his last sentence.

For the records and because the Yahaya Bello administration in Kogi swears by an open government and puts much store on the free flow of (factual) information to citizens, we offer here a brief rejoinder. It is intended to set the records straight for any reader of the article still wondered with the rest of us if there was, perhaps, another side to the story. To such fair-minded people, we make the assurance that there is.

The writer is categorical that the ‘youthful Governor… is upending common sense in the state...’First, one does not fail to notice how he spits out ‘youthful’ here like it is a bad thing, especially when paired with ‘Governor’. That is understandable, not everyone believes there is any use for the young in Nigerian politics except, of course, as thugs. The moment one of them dares to be Governor, all hell breaks loose. Second, wisdom is a bag, each man carries his own. The vast majority of Kogi people believe differently from the writer when it comes to the import and impact of their young governor even in his first month in Lugard House.

While it is early days yet, the prevailing mood among relieved Kogites wherever the governor and his team has gone is, ‘finally, at last, common sense has come to Kogi State.’ The average Kogi person just wants his government to do right by him, the exact thing the governor is keen, and very ready, to do. This includes enclaves where the usual suspects predicted mass discontent after Governor Bello emerged governor-elect.

The writer is also certain the novel electoral and legal events proceeding Governor Bello’s swearing-in are ‘a farce orchestrated by the ruling APC and INEC.’ We are not surprised. It is a common skein of argument that runs through the spool of naysayers whose personal designs on the jugular of Kogi politics has been thwarted by providence. We will let APC and INEC answer for themselves, if they wish, but it is our opinion that the writer did not interrogate his own narrative in its core aspects. He merely endorsed the false conclusions that the Judiciary has been wrong so far in its interventions in the matter.

He also evinced a desperate need to set an agenda that sees his preferred outcomes and candidate’s manifest, irrespective of the law, and whatever betides.

As for Governor Bello, despite the blatant subversions that denied him his party’s ticket at the APC primaries, even after the primaries Appeal Committee had ruled in his favour and this was made clear in his inaugural address and it has not changed. ‘God and good…’ said he,

‘are on our side…’ We trust that when the dust settles, he will be standing strong, buoyed up by God, and all that is good, including the letters and intendments of Nigerian law.

We therefore suggest that the courts and tribunals be allowed to make their determinations free of the pernicious second-guessing with which credibility the writer seeks to undermine. We too want to see how a person who does not qualify ab initio to be on the ballot to contest a councillorship anywhere in Kogi can post facto becomes a valid beneficiary of the office of the governor from an inconclusive election.

In the time-tested tradition of seasoned muckrakers, when they run out of ideas, the writer and his double could not resist hurling puerile personal insults at their quarry. Governor Bello had a hearty laugh at being described as lacking ‘the experience, maturity, insight, shrewdness and astuteness required to govern a state like Kogi or any state for that matter…’by people who may have managed nothing bigger than a salaried office table all their lives. Apparently, the fact that he has built up a multi-billion Naira growth enterprise with scores of employees and managed it to profitability does not count. It must be that thing his current detractors find his youthfulness so galling.

Fresh from its failed attempt to embarrass Governor Bello on account of his unwavering focus on his duties, the article flies into a rant against several decisions of the new governor aimed at kick-starting the process of reforming the state civil service. It alleged the fledgling administration’s attempt to screen the state’s workforce for ghost workers was anti-workers’ welfare. Obviously, the writer has not heard about the successes both the federal and those state governments which have undertaken the same exercise have recorded in reducing their monthly wage bills. It also does not matter to him that a successful screening will free up much needed funds to pay the actual workers as and when due.

• Charles, a public affairs commentator writes from Lokoja.

38

I

have always suspected a stench from the manner in which the telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, is going about its N1.04 trillion fine ordeal with the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). I have always held the belief that one day the chicken would come home to roost. It appears we are getting close to the root of the matter with the outcome of the investigation hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Communications, on Thursday.

The MTN, in October 2015, had the huge fine of $5.2 billion imposed on it for failing to register millions of telephone lines, despite repeated warnings by the NCC. The said unregistered lines were said to have aided activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East and kidnappers across the states of Southern Nigeria.

I was one of those who were alarmed by the volume of the fine imposed by the NCC. My position remains that the fine should be paid, but that in view of the threat paying that amount could constitute to the life of the telecommunications company, the payment should be staggered.

The magnitude of the offence made it look unthinkable that the company should be granted any further reprieve other than a staggered payment.

I know how it works between NCC and its customers.

The same as what happens between regulators and the organisations they supervise. You either pay the fine or face sanctions. In the case of MTN, many were apprehensive of the step NCC would take. Will they suspend the company’s license and throw thousands of companies dependent on the telecoms provider into darkness? Will they remove the company from business and throw hundreds of its employees into the job market. The apprehension grew as the deadline closed in.

But MTN surprised many when it filed a suit in court seeking to challenge the powers of the NCC. I felt that was an affront on the Nigerian government. If the same NCC was good enough to certify your license, why would it not be competent to impose fines on you?

What came to mind was that wonders shall never cease in Nigeria. You want to wonder which court will tell the NCC it was not competent to impose fines on organisations under its watch. It looked like an academic exercise in court, but with an array of Senior Advocates of Nigeria lined up by the company, you are made to think twice anything can happen.

WITH the constant kidnappings in our schools, which now seem to have taken a dangerous dimension, the Inspector-General of Police should drag non-uniform and uniform security personnel to all schools nationwide to checkmate the activities of these criminals and in the process, curb other vices in the schools.

We thank God that the security agents were able to rescue the abducted school girls unhurt from the hands of these evil men. Security lapses in our country is becoming a huge embarrassment to the nation and proactive action is needed to address the situation; so that prospective investors would not be discouraged and be forced to look elsewhere for investment opportunities.

This will be unfortunate, as we stand to lose a lot from our inability to curtail these insecurities.

—Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia.

07084644222 The truth is that we are overstretching our own democracy, hence we are retrogressing. A mix of militarisation of certain things is required. Henceforth, private primary and secondary schools should be guarded by security operatives acquired from registered security firms rather than just any weak security outfit that knows next to nothing about security. Every public primary and secondary school must be manned by the police, at least two policemen per school, rather than securing individual persons.

Principals of schools with hostels should reside in schools. Moreover, any kidnapper that is caught should be paraded in television stations, tied to stakes and shot! This will be an encouraging deterrent against this lawlessness and satirical kidnapping.

—Lanre Oseni. 08023023745 The issue of kidnapping in our country is barbaric, inhuman and disheartening. I, however, believe that

13 March, 2016

the lynxeye with Taiwo adisa

08072000046 taiadisbabatj@gmail.com

Something is fishy with this MTN saga

But the drama did not end there. From the blues we heard that the telecoms company was importing American negotiator, Eric H. Holder Jr into the matter and before long we started hearing of a presidential committee sitting on the matter. At the tail of the story, you heard that MTN had paid N50 billion to the Central Bank of Nigeria as part payment for the fine.

One of the first fishy developments was the decision of Eric Holder to write directly to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Barrister Abubakar Malami (SAN), without recourse to the NCC or the Minister of Communications, the supervision Ministry.

Another was the setting up of a presidential commit-

frontrow with Toyin Willoughby Muyi 0805 500 1769 toyeenz@yahoo.com

Re: Our schools are becoming easy targets for kidnappers for a government to be successful there should be adequate security and employment; both of which are very cogent factors. The kidnapping of those three young girls is empirical evidence that truly, the security of this country is very porous. An adage says, ‘’if a wall is not cracked, it will be difficult for a lizard to enter it.”If there is adequate security in this our great nation, it will be difficult for these evil-minded people to penetrate.

Again, another adage says “the pest that is devouring the vegetable inhabits the vegetable,” The kidnappers and vampires are in our society, how to identify and fish them out is the problem confronting us right now. We thank God that the kidnapped girls have been rescued and returned to their parents and have even gone back to their studies. However, security should be a collective thing. Parents, teachers, as well as the children themselves, should be vigilant and check themselves. A word is enough for the wise. Enough is enough.

Sunday Tribune

tee on a matter that is purely within the competence of the NCC and the Ministry of Communications. And then negotiations went on between MTN and the AGF, while the NCC and the Ministry were only invited once or so.

Again, an illegality occurred, when Malami asked Holder and his client to pay the part payment of the fine to CBN’s recovery account rather than the account of NCC. I join senators who have queried Malami’s role in this saga. I also question the involvement of President Muhammadu Buhari to the extent that he set up a presidential committee. If he does not trust the ability of his Minister of Communications to handle such a simple matter, he should ask the man to either go home or redeploy him to another ministry.

It is sad the way we treat our agencies. Even though many have canvassed strong institutions as a panacea for development, this government is doing what it wished to undermine the institution of NCC. A number of questions remain unanswered at the Senate hearing on this MTN saga. Why did the company open negotiations on its ordeal with the Ministry of Justice rather than the NCC or Ministry of Communications?

How did the AGF get involved in the saga? Who brought President Buhari into the matter and why did he have to set up a presidential committee? Who authorised the opening of the account at CBN and who also authorised the part payment into that account? Why were they wrapping up negotiations when the NCC and the Communications Ministry were in the dark? I though a proverb says you don›t shave the head in the man›s absence.

It is detestable to see the NCC derobed, derided, right in the presence of organisations that should fear and obey it. You want to wonder what would happen if we see this through and succeed in telling the MTN that NCC does not matter. What would the other multi-nationals, especially oil giants and construction companies who are watching do to the supervising institutions?

They will simply write protest letters to the AGF and then the President would be forced to take time off his local and foreign engagements to preside over meetings to pacify them.

Malami, the CBN and the presidency who dabbled needlessly into the MTN saga need to hands off now and allow the NCC and the Communications Minister do their job.

—Taiwo Sangotikun 08056309372.

Iseyin,

Oyo

State.

We thank God that the three kidnapped female pupils of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, have been rescued! However, the issue of kidnapping is now on the increase and is being carried out on a daily basis.

This means that we are faced with a serious problem as far as security is concerned. All these schools, especially the private ones, should have learnt some lessons from the incident of the Chibok girls and other related issues.

With this new dimension introduced by these criminally-minded people, stakeholders – parents, teachers and proprietors of elitist privately-owned schools need to sit down to plan, deliberate, organise, discuss and talk frankly and critically about the security situation in the country, especially as it affects these young ones who are the future of the nation. They also need to organise trainings and seminars for their security guards from time to time. On another level, the government should create employment opportunities for our graduates or financially empower those who are entrepreneurshipminded so as to get them positively occupied. When viewed critically, one would find that most of the challenges we are experiencing now emanate from lack of employment opportunities. The bottomline is that we should be more prayerful, for it is the only solution to all problems, because “unless the Lord keeps the city, the watchman wakes but in vain”.

—Lekan Oladeji, Ilora. 08053049443 When a nation cares less for her youth and vulnerable population, the future is sure to be doomed. The rising cases of abduction are indicative of the ever-widening schism between the princes and paupers and this accounts for these abductors ‘patronising’ private schools.

—Dayo Oladeji, Saki Oke Ogun. 08027278748

39

13 March, 2016

ON THE

lord’sday

Sunday Tribune

With Bolanle Bolawole turnpot@gmail.com 07052631058

Donald Trump: God’s whip for Black people?

E

VERYONE should be familiar with Donald Trump, the United States of America presidential aspirant on the platform of the conservative Republican Party. He is rabidly racist, irascible, anarchist, amoral, voluble, loquacious, xenophobic, isolationist, and protectionist – name it! He sounds every bit irrational, violent, and dangerous. His hatred for immigrants – Blacks especially – knows no bound. To be sure, Trump wouldn’t be the first such hate-peddling presidential aspirant in the history of the United States; problem, however, is, this one appears a very serious aspirant; he seems a likely winner of the Republican ticket. The who’s who in his party has endorsed him and the voters in the ongoing party primaries are flocking unto him. He has trounced hitherto promising challengers and the gap between him and the others keeps widening primary after primary. Soon, he could reach the threshold necessary for him to be declared the undisputed winner of the Republican ticket – and he would be only one step away from the White House – the world’s most powerful office.

As it is today, the only person capable of stopping Trump is the Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Mrs. Hillary Clinton. Former First Lady to two-term exPresident Bill Clinton, former Democratic party presidential aspirant (challenging Barak Obama and giving him a run for his money); former Secretary of State in Barak Obama’s cabinet and Senator, Hillary aims to make history as the first woman president of the United States.

If she is elected, the Clintons will also make history as the first couple in the country’s history to both occupy the White House as president. She has practically outpaced other challengers for the Democratic Party’s ticket and barring any upset, should soon wrap up the contest. Is she to be preferred to Trump? Many will say “yes” but I have read reports about her being an Establishment person whereas even in her own party, the chant is for change from the Washington culture. She is said to be far right of the Centre; not a friend of the poor; not passionate about the issues that concern the poor and if she wins, is likely to serve more of the same menu that Americans across party divide are fed up with.

Americans need CHANGE. The conservatives need change. They want somebody conservative enough to implement real conservative policies that will make no pretence at pandering to populist ranting. Trump appears to fit the bill. On the Democrats’ side, the people, especially the young, are also clamouring for change. Senator Bernie Sanders best approximates that change but he may not win the ticket. Clinton is not trusted even by the pro-Left of her own party who sees her as pro- Establishment and pro-Wall Street. This is why many are afraid that in the event of Trump winning and Sanders losing, a chunk of pro-CHANGE Democrats may defect to Trump.

Our own Reuben Abati described Trump as “snarling insurgent and nativist” and the possibility of his becoming the U.S. president as “frightening prospect.” Abati adds: “(Trump) has said all the worst things that should never be uttered by anyone seeking to lead a responsible and diverse nation. His campaign has been marked by insults, anger, put downs, bully tactics, rants, and unapologetic immaturity...He recommends torture and the killing of the families of terrorists. He has been endorsed by white supremacists and he doesn’t quite seem to mind being labelled a racist. He threatens violence and on one occasion almost punched a protester in the face. He even got into an altercation with the Pope. He wants to barricade the American South border and build a wall to shut out Mexico because, according to him, the Mexicans who cross the border into America are ‘rapists’. And when that wall is built, he insists Mexico must pick the bill. He

doesn’t want Muslims inside America either, and he has dismissed Africans as unwanted and Nigerians as a problem.”

The hysteria which has followed Trump is understandable. Now, hear what he said that has frightened everyone “We need to get the Africans out (of America). Not the blacks (African-Americans); the Africans, especially the Nigerians. They are everywhere. I went for a rally in Alaska and met just one African in the entire state. Where was he from? Nigeria! He’s in Alaska taking our jobs. They are in Houston taking our jobs. Why? Why can’t they stay in their own country? Why? I’ll tell you why: Because they are corrupt. Their governments are so corrupt they rob the people blind and bring it all here to spend. And their people run away and come here and take our jobs! We can’t have that! If I become president, we’ll send them all home. We’ll build a wall at the Atlantic shore. Then maybe we’ll re-colonise them because obviously they did not learn a damn thing from the British.”

Now, don’t blow your top yet. Let’s overlook the insults but do contents analysis of what Trump said about us.

Truth, they say, is bitter. Is it not true that Nigerians are everywhere? We often cite this as evidence of our industry. Had Trump gone a step further to find out the tribe of the Nigerian he met in Alaska, he might have found out his is Igbo! Don’t you think so? But truth is that where countries are faced with problems of massive unemployment, the first scapegoats are foreigners. Trump may have been crude in his choice of words but repatriation of foreigners, especially illegal immigrants, is worldwide practice. We ourselves have sent Ghanaians and other Africans out of this country. Other African countries such as Ghana, Libya, and South Africa have done a similar thing to us. Are our governments not corrupt? Of course they are! Have our so-called leaders not stolen us blind?

Of course they have! Do they not siphon the loot abroad while we suffer at home for basic amenities that such stolen money could have provided for us many times over?

Of course that is the case! Is there not a brain drain from

here to the developed countries? Of course there is! Are our people not running away from hardship here? Of course they are! And are they not taking up jobs in other lands that the citizens would, ordinarily, have got? That, of course, is the fact! But, again, this is the standard practice all over the world. There are, perhaps, more Americans working abroad than foreigners working in America.

Trumps’ tirade against Muslims is no less acerbic, yet with its own “justification”. We must note that 9\11 continues to haunt the Americans; not to talk of the ISIS, Boko Haram , al-Qaeda, al-Shabbab, Mali, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, to mention but a few. It is trite, though, that the crimes of a few should not be stamped on everyone, especially when it can be argued that America’s foreign policy cannot be divorced from the terror-war in many parts of the world. Islamic leaders have a lot of image-cleansing to do all the same. Incendiary statements

by Muslims leaders portray the faith in bad light. The mindless bloodletting everywhere in the name of Islam does not help the image of Muslims. We have had our own nasty experience here in Nigeria; the Mile 12, Lagos mindless killings, for instance. Read Remi Fani-Kayode’s “Sons of Futa Jalon” and you are bound to recoil in horror. In the last few weeks, the Ese Oruru saga has not been good Public Relations for Islam. Newspaper reports are to the effect that there are many other Ese Orurus that the media have started to champion their cause for freedom and justice.

Other people confront their problems but we run away from ours. Is that not why our best brains have left the shores of this country? Many of the lecturers who taught me at Ife, who made that campus tick, are out of the country. I will be surprised if you find White lecturers on our campuses again. In those days many of them taught me at Ife. When I heard stories of Nigerian medical doctors who ran away to the U.S. to try to become a nurse, I wept. I understand one fellow wrote the qualifying exams several times but failed. He was almost giving up when, like our own President Muhammadu Buhari, he was prevailed upon to try one more time – and this time, he passed! Tell me, if others behave like us, who will create the Eldorado that we take pleasure in running to? We love finished products; we loathe finishing the products ourselves. Even to grow coaches at home, we cannot; we would rather import them. Buhari said we import from rice to tooth pick – and he is damn right. We hate rules. I mean here in the country – but we conform abroad. The car crash that killed a Minister, his wife and son turned out damning revelations of rules broken. It was impunity upon impunity. Yet, the Presidency rushed to compensate such infractions with the award of scholarships! When we should all have buried our heads in shame! If gold rusts, what will silver do?

Send them home, Trump, send them home! Let our universities bubble again with first-class academics. If all those who brain-drained into the U.S. alone are sent back

by Trump, we shall have our hospitals brimming with first-class professionals. And we shall learn to develop inwardly. Prof. Chike Obi said long ago that unless we Blacks make contributions to science and technology\inventions, the Whites will never accept us as their equals.

That is a fact. The best that we have notched up is Nobel Peace prize and Nobel Prize in Literature. Can Leopold Sedar Senghor then be right when the father of Negritude said: “Reason is Hellenic (white) while emotion is African (black)”? How will Donald Trump not trump us, so to say? Whether abroad or at home, have we behaved properly to others and to ourselves? The stirring but shrill voice of Okot p’Bitek, in Song of Ochol, pierces the wind again as he moans: “Mother, why, why was I born black?”

40

13 March, 2016

language&style Shirking responsibilities

S

AMPLE 1: “Obasanjo who traced insurgency to lack of fairness and justice across the world, blamed institutions, including religious bodies for shirking in their responsibilities towards having a safer society.”(Abia North Senatorial Rerun: Kanu, Others Know Fate Today, the Sunday Sun, March 6, 2016) We note the expression, “shirking in their responsibilities” which occurs in the following context: “Obasanjo…blamed institutions…for shirking in their responsibilities.” The problem is with the particle in collocating with the word shirk/shirking.

That particle is intrusive. In fact the verb shirk does not require any particle at all.

We have complained several times in this place about the habit of some Nigerians using particles arbitrarily in the contexts of idioms. Some Nigerians, following the dictates of their feelings and fancy, would delete particles where their presence is absolutely essential; bring in particles where they are complete strangers; freely substitute particles without any regard for the idiomatic character of the expressions involved; etc. Such carelessness and arbitrariness do violence to the idiomatic integrity of the expressions.

Instead of saying, for example, “The revision was carried out piecemeal,” fellow Nigerians would say, “The revision was carried out in piecemeal.” Then you wonder where the particle in occurring immediately before the word piecemeal comes from.

Of course, it would seem that the particle comes from a particular kind of construction involving the word piecemeal: “The revision was carried out in a piecemeal fashion.” This is an idiomatic construction requiring the presence of the particle in, but this construction should not be confused with the earlier one in which the particle is intrusive.

Similarly, instead of saying, “A political scientist has advocated the adoption of the parliamentary system of government,” some Nigerians would say, “A political scientist has advocated for the adoption of the parliamentary system of government.”

Here, the particle for is intrusive, a product of the strange imagination of Nigerians.

Also, some Nigerians would allow the particle on to collocate with the verb emphasize. They would say, “The chairman emphasized *on the need for probity in the handling of the company’s affairs.” The proper thing to say is: “The chairman emphasized the need for probity in the handling of the company’s affairs.” Other defective sentences and their corrected versions are as follows: Defective: The professor emphasized *on the importance of regular reading as a means of developing one’s capacity.

Corrected version: The professor emphasized the importance of regular reading as a means of developing one’s capacity. Defective: The doctor emphasized *on the need for exercise as a way of maintaining a healthy body. Corrected version: The doctor emphasized the need for regular exercise as a way of maintaining a healthy body. Defective: The guest lecturer encouraged the developing African nations to emphasize *on mechanized agriculture as a means of guaranteeing food security. Corrected version: The guest lecturer encouraged the developing African nations to emphasizemechanized agriculture as a means of guaranteeing food security. Defective: This regime is emphasizing *on training and re-training of staff. Corrected version: This regime is emphasizing training and re-training of staff. Defective: The instructor emphasized *on the need to maintain a clean and hygienic environment. Corrected version: The instructor emphasized the need to maintain a clean and hygienic environment.

Readers should note that although the verb emphasize does not take the particle on, the noun emphasis does. Please read the following sentences: 1) The new regime places emphasis on probity and accountability. (Compare: The new regime emphasizes probity and accountability.) 2) The emphasis in the western world is on increased technology. (Compare: The western world emphasizes increased technology.) 3) The emphasis here is on herbal medicine (Compare: Here we emphasize herbal medicine.) 4) The workshop will place emphasis on the participants’ ability to pronounce words correctly. (Compare: The workshop will emphasize the participants’ ability to pronounce words correctly.) 5) This government is placing emphasis on security. (Compare: This government is emphasizing security.) 6) Any training in English should lay emphasis on clarity of expression. (Compare: Any training in English should emphasize clarity of expression.)

Some users confuse the particle/preposition that should go

by Samson Dare 0805 500 1770 samsonadare@yahoo.co.uk

with the verb prepare (or its noun preparation) with the one that goes with the adjective preparatory. They would say, preparatory for instead of preparatory to. Read the following sentences: 1a) We are preparing for exams. b) We have bought materials in preparation for exams. C) Materials have been bought preparatory to exams. 2a) We are preparingfor the construction work. b) We have cleared the site in preparation for the construction work. C) We have cleared the site preparatory to the commencement of construction work. 3a) INEC is preparing for elections. b) INEC has been procuring materials in preparation for elections. C) INEC has been procuring materials preparatory to the elections. 4a) We are preparing for the meeting. b)The hall has been tidied up in preparation for the meeting. c) The hall has been tidied up preparatory to the meeting. 5) a) I am preparing for resumption. b) I have bought new books in preparation for resumption. c) I have bought new books preparatory to resumption. 6) a) The Super Eagles are preparing for the match. b) The Super Eagles have gone to the camp in preparation for the match. c) The Super Eagles have gone to the camp preparatory to the match.

Note the following: prepare for; preparation for; preparatory to.

A similar error is noted in the expression:solicit *for. The verb solicit, let us note, does not need the particle for. Please read the following sentences: 1) The boys went out soliciting help for their sick mother. 2) Orphanages are allowed to solicit funds by law. 3) There is no law permitting beggars to solicit money. 4) Like individuals, nations can solicit aid from other nations. 5 Soliciting help takes something away from a person’s dignity. 6) Students should feel free to solicit books from publishing companies.

As another example, some Nigerians would say : “at the verge of...” instead of: “on the verge of...” Please read the following sentences: 1) I came into the country on the verge of the general elections. 2) Now that the company is on the verge of economic breakthrough, nothing should be done to reverse its fortune. 3) The world seems to be on the verge of inventing the vaccine for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). 4) The Security Council intervened at the appropriate time: the country was then on theverge of anarchy. 5) The help came at a time I was on the verge of bankruptcy. 6) War broke out on the verge of independence of the country.

The verb form also takes the particle on: 1) The delirious outbursts verge on lunacy. 2) The expression of doubt verges on malicious suspicion. 3) His condition verges on absolute poverty. 4) Her level of education verges on illiteracy. 5) The hedging verges on dishonesty. 6) The man’s spiritual condition vergeson apostasy.

The verb border also takes the particle on and is synonymous with verge on: 1) His insensitivity borderson misanthropy. 2) The happy-go-lucky attitude borders on laziness. 3) Your attitude to your friend’s success borders on jealousy. 4) The way he has been hiding information on the matter borders on insincerity. 5) The man’s consistent refusal to obey his seniors borders on rebellion. 6) The insurgency borders on national insecurity.

We started the discussion from the wrongly introduced particle (in) in the expression: shirking *in. Now read the following sentences: 1) We are where we are today because our leaders have repeatedly shirked their responsibilities. 2) Parents have shirked their responsibilities in the last thirty years and we see the deleterious effects of this on the younger generation today.3) If teachers do not shirk their responsibilities, students would have no reason to fail their exams. 4) It is true that governments at all levels have been shirking their responsibilities, but even the citizens have not helped matters. 5) The police are being accused of shirking their responsibility for maintaining law and order in an honest and transparent manner. 6) Contrary to your allegation, I did not shirk my responsibility; I was only waiting for the appropriate time to act. 7) The members of staff who were fired were accused of shirking their responsibilities. 8) The Nigerian press does have its own weaknesses, but it cannot be accused of shirking its responsibility for adequately informing and enlightening Nigerians. 9) The security lapses occurred because security men shirked their responsibility. 10) The financial regulators are being accused of shirking their duties.

Please note that in none of those sentences is the verb shirk followed by the particle in.

Sunday Tribune

line

life

with Niyi Osundare

Random Blues (Heatwave Blues) February melts into March The bug of Time has bitten the year Hun un, February melts into March The bug of Time is biting the year The hours this year have a Bolt* in their heels Their speed hastens our fun and lingering fear

This heat, the heat, oh the heat And the river of sweat which drowns our languid days Yee, this heat, and the heat, oh the heat And the river of sweat which drowns our languid days Soggy pillows which plague the bed And the wind which the season’s order delays

The sky has swallowed the wind, The heat has swallowed the air Hah, the sky has swallowed the wind And the heat has swallowed the air Long gone the gentle and timely breeze Oyi rerere** which makes life a friendly fare

We roast in our rooms Like barbecued goats on a festive day Agbaga! We roast in our rooms Like barbecuing goats on a festive day A muggy spell has usurped the streets Keeping little children from their innocent play

The rain, the rain Send down the rain I say, the rain, the rain Send down the rain Tell the drifting clouds to brew the balm So urgently needed for our searing pain

*

Remember Usain Bolt, the Olympic

sprint champion? ** Breeze come gentle breeze

41

13 March, 2016

With Rita Okonoboh rosarumese@gmail.com 08053789087

tribunechurch

H

OW will you assess the anti-corruption drive of the present gov-

ernment?

Anyone who wishes Nigeria well must support the anticorruption drive of the present administration. Corruption has dealt a deadly blow to our nation, Nigeria, and every attempt aimed at fighting this deadly disease must be commended. We have a president who has not been accused by anybody in the media or even in government of being corrupt. So, the president is in a good position to start this fight against corruption. On the manner in which corruption is being fought, well, those who are being accused have the right to deny or accept the allegations. That is why the law is supreme. The fight against corruption should be within the ambit of the laws of the land; and that is the stand of PFN. What do you think the PFN can do to support the anticorruption campaign of the president?

We will give every logical, moral and spiritual support. The fight against corruption is the fight the church must be involved in. It is high time we looked at ourselves, purge ourselves and reposition ourselves to lead our people towards the right direction, towards making Nigeria better and greater.

The present state of the economy in Nigeria has become very worrisome to all Nigerians; what do you think is the solution to this state of the Nigerian economy?

Again, we have to find out what is the cause. Basically, the country has been a mono-economy for a long time and there have been attempts to diversify it. I think it is high time Nigeria really diversified its economy. Agriculture would be an area I think the government should examine.

Secondly, technocrats and professionals should be brought in to contribute their knowledge and technical know-how so as to fashion out a solid economic blueprint that will encourage foreign direct investment flow into the country.

How will you rate the security situation in Nigeria and the performance of the security agencies?

Well, I can tell you there is improvement. Prior to the coming of this current administration,

Mothers’ Day:

10 trail-blazing Christian Pg 43 women

Sunday Tribune

Ese Oruru: We must not use religion to tear Nigeria apart —Omobude Reverend (Dr) Felix Omobude is the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the General Superintendent of New Covenant Gospel Church with the headquarters in Benin City, Edo State. He shares his thoughts on the anti-corruption war of the present government, the Ese Oruru saga, the proposed grazing land for cattle rearers, among other issues. BANJI ALUKO provides excerpts: the incidence of bombing was very high and people were scared to worship in churches and go to markets. I think that has significantly reduced to some extent. I believe the present administration has done well to reduce the capacity of Boko Haram. At least, we are aware that some people have returned to their places of origin. I believe strongly that there is still more that needs to be done. The abduction of the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls that are yet to be found is something that is disheartening. No government can sleep over that and expect that eyebrows will not be raised. I believe President Buhari is doing his best to ensure that the girls are released; and that the security situation improves.

We have a president who has not been accused by anybody in the media or even in government of being corrupt. So, the president is in a good position to start this fight against corruption.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo believes that the Chibok girls cannot be found. He is of the opinion that they might have been sold or taken to other countries. Do you think the schoolgirls can still be found?

I believe that former President Obasanjo has more insight than some of us. I believe we should hope for the best. Something will surely happen and revelations will be made on the situation of the schoolgirls, if they are alive or not. We are praying fervently for the best.

What is your take on the Ese Oruru saga?

Certainly, I am happy that the girl has been reunited with the family, but you will know from what was reported that this case has been on for some time. Why did it take so long? Who are the people that shielded this girl and

I am prepared for greater persecution

—Prophet Idowu

helped the abductors? We are looking forward to the police arraigning these people in the court of law. Whosoever aided them should be prosecuted. Again, let me say that people should not use religion to tear this nation apart.

Why will a 13-year-old girl be married? Common sense will tell

Pg 44

you that for you to marry a girl, you need the consent of the parents. I do hope that the government and the law enforcement agencies will do the proper thing and not only get to the root of the matter but also bring the perpetrators to book.

No controversy in CAN Presidency —Ogunmuyiwa

Pg 42

Do you think the plan to allocate land to cattle rearers can work?

The activities of these cattle rearers across the country are becoming very worrisome. I think it is time the government of the day comes up with a strong stand on curbing these killings that are senseless. While there has been suggestions that grazing land be found for them, for me, that is not the best solution. The solution is helping these cattle rearers develop the business of cattle rearing by building ranches for them to rear their cattle. People eat beef in Europe, but you do not see them parading their cattle on the roads or streets and invade other people’s farms. I think it is time we change; this change we talk about should affect all facets of our lives.

On March 14, you will be 70. How does attaining 70 make you feel?

Oh! God has been good to me. I thank God for all his grace. Well, I am sound in my body, spirit and soul. I will just continue to give Him thanks and look up to Him for the future. I can only give glory to God. I think God must have specially made some investments in my life that renews my years. I am grateful to him, to Nigerians both at home and in Diaspora for the prayers and goodwill.

42

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

With Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 08074497425

churchnews

No controversy in CAN Presidency —Bishop Ogunmuyiwa Sunday Osunrayi -Abuja

T

HE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has denied any controversy in the election of its new president when the

tenure of the incumbent, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, ends in July.

Newly appointed National Coordinating Chaplain for the National Christian Centre, Abuja, Dr Peter Ogunmuyiwa, a Diocesan Bishop of the Afri-

can Church, stated this in Abuja, noting that the presidency was rotational among the five blocs of CAN established in 1976.

“There is no controversy at all. When the tenure of Papa Ayo Oritsejafor ends, one of the five blocs of CAN

would produce the next president. Nigerians and the Christian world should ignore any controversy.

The presidency in CAN is well structured; it is rotational,” Ogunmuyiwa said.

Ogunmuyiwa said that since the presidency is ro-

tational, either of the two blocs of ECWA/TEKAN or OAIC would produce the next president of CAN. He added that the Chaplaincy Committee comprises representatives of the five blocs of CAN and that apart from himself, the CCN is represented by Rev. Ini Okpuo, the OAIC

by Senior Apostle Michael Osamor, CPFN/PFN by Rev. Akinbami, and the

TEKAN/ECWA by Bishop Benjamin Fuduta.

“The implication of the appointment of the committee is a dream come true for the Christian community in Nigeria. The Christian Centre is a national monument attracting international audience.

This is the first time we are addressing the spiritual need of the people,” he added.

Abia theological rector promises to refocus institute Celestine Ihejirika -Umuahia

From left, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; benefactor of St. Gabriel Chaplaincy, Sir (Dr) Obiorah Okonkwo and his daughter; President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama and Papal Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja, during the laying of foundation/first sod turning of the Chapel of St. Gabriel Catholic Chaplaincy and guest house of the CBCN in Abuja, recently.

PHOTO: SUNDAY OSUNRAYI.

RECTOR, Methodist Theological Institute (MTI) Umuahia, Abia State, Very Reverend Ogba Okechukwu, has stated that manpower development of the institution would remain his focus, as he assumes office.

Rev. Okechukwu, who disclosesd this in Umuahia while speaking with Tribune Church, noted that the measure was to increase innovation aimed at exposing students to knowledge on new techniques.

According to him, his administration will encourage team work on the part of students for educational enhancement; create staff and students relationship for increased knowledge productivity and advancement.

The institute, which was

established in 1956, according to rector, lacks basic facilities such as infrastructural development, power/generator, transformer, hostel accommodation, lecture halls, library, computer accessories, among others.

While he called on government, organisations and individuals to come to the assistance of the institution, the rector said the Methodist Institute, Umuahia, ranked best when compared with other religious institutions across South East/South-south region.

One other challenge he promised to tackle was the re-introduction of the culture of reading hymnbooks, as he observed that hymn book citation was part of spiritual holiness by members of the Methodist Church and should be encouraged.

Seek God for Nigeria’s development, Christians urged Pastor I.S. James (middle); Eze (Dr) Patrick Ogbuagu (second right) supported by other ministers and some church members cutting the anniversary cake during the celebration of the 24th anniversary of Glory Christian Ministries International, Lagos, recently.

The church must emulate Paul’s example —Pastor James

By Rita Okonoboh THE Founding Pastor of Glory Christian Ministries International, Pastor (Dr) Iruofagha James, has called on the church to emulate Apostle Paul’s example.

He also described the church as a community where all things are shared in common and the members are products of grace with expectation to grow.

Speaking during the annual summit of the church

founded 24 years ago, Pastor James said, “growth is a natural process and as a child is born with expectation to grow, so are church members expected to grow in their communal development and daily walk with God.” Citing Apostle Paul’s great desire and concern for the Philippian church, he said, “Paul had wanted to see a new lifestyle in the church, making them to realise that they were products of God’s grace

and gave them a mission reminding them of their responsibilities with hope before praying for them.”

He called on the church in Nigeria to emulate Paul’s example by modelling their community with a lifestyle of simplicity, love, generosity, forgiveness and involvement.

He explained further that responsible Christians ought to radiate love, be generous, tender, not given to offences and be practically involved in the com-

munity (church) development with their skills and time in order to grow.

Pastor James berated some self-styled community (church) members who do not understand and respect the grace of God in the community they claim to belong to, living their lives from Monday to Saturday as criminals, indulging in different kinds of ungodly lifestyles and only come to church on Sundays to infect the community.

THE former chairman, Committee of Local Government Council creation in Osun State and former Deputy Speaker in Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Moses Oladipo Gbotoso, recently appointed Baba Ijo, Methodist Cathedral, Otapete, Ilesa, Osun State, has called on Christians to seek God for Nigeria’s development.

Gbotoso, before his appointment, had served the state at different positions and in the church.

While speaking with Tribune Church shortly after his installation last week, Gbotoso pleaded with Nigerians to seek the face of God in prayer for forgiveness of sins com-

mitted by former political leaders who chose to serve idols than God. Gbotoso stated further that he would partner with Archbishop Akinloose Akindeko to intensify evangelism to win more souls into the House of God, just as he stressed the importance of planting new churches on the outskirts of Ilesa.

In his sermon at the installation, Akindeko, who is the Archbishop and Bishop of Ilesa, extolled the virtues of the Baba Ijo, and urged members of the cathedral to join hands with him to ensure planting of churches around Osun State so as to win more souls.

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Sunday Tribune

Mothers’ Day: 10 trail-blazing Christian women

By Rita Okonoboh

T Helen Oritsejafor

Faith Oyedepo

Peace Okonkwo

Evelyn Joshua

HE month of March is dedicated to the celebration of women, and in Christendom, within Nigeria and beyond, women have, and continue to contribute significantly to the furtherance of the gospel.

Their roles from the time when Christ spread the gospel, through to the present time are always considered indispensable.

For Nigerian female Christians in leadership positions, they not only provide support for their preacher husbands, many of them take the step further to ensure that the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to all and sundry, through sermons shared on the altar; engaging in various activities, especially as it relates to developing a better society through the setting up of foundations dedicated to giving; establishing organisations to tackle societal ills and work towards bringing women, youths, and even men up in the way of the Lord, as well as raising exemplary families that are models for a peaceful and successful society. Below are 10 female Christian leaders who are making significant impact in Nigeria: Helen Oritsejafor Easy-going, cheerful and radiant, Pastor (Mrs) Helen Oritsejafor, fondly called Mama, is the co-pastor of the Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, Delta State and wife of the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. She is at the forefront of building women who would act as change agents in ensuring a better Nigeria, an effort championed by her position as the President of the Daughters of Sarah Fellowship. She has been a wonderful pillar of support for her husband and it is almost impossible to find her without her husband at public functions. Her characteristic nature of giving, especially to the less privileged is almost unrivalled.

Abiola Omobude Pastor (Mrs) Abiola Omobude is the wife of the popular Edo State preacher and General Superintendent of the New Covenant Gospel

Nike Adeyemi

Church, and National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Reverend (Dr) Felix Omobude. A musician par excellence, she never fails to inspire with her ever-ready smile.

Folu Adeboye Pastor (Mrs) Foluke Adeboye is the wife of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor E.A. Adeboye. Mummy GO, as she is popularly referred to, has a passion for human and societal development, evident in her positive influence in education. She is also a compassionate ministerial leader, selflessly dedicated to proper upbringing of women, and is successfully referred to as a mother, sister, friend, mentor and pastor to many.

Faith Oyedepo Pastor Faith Abiola Oyedepo, the wife of Bishop (Dr) David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a.

Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State, is popular for her influence with her ministry, largely dedicated to building exemplary families. She has inspired many with her writing skills, as proved by her authorship of various books on families, inspiration for success and renewed faith in God, and has also enriched many singles with her ministry.

Bishop Peace Okonkwo Bishop Peace Okonkwo, the wife of the Dr Mike Okonkwo, the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), is the Resident Pastor of the Headquarters Church of TREM, and Proprietress of the Word of Power Group of Schools. Her disposition is positively infectious as she brings smiles to many who come in contact with her. She is a rare model in the support she gives to her husband, as well as the care and concern she extends towards women and children. She is also popular for her outreach to the less privileged by giving them a place to call home.

Margaret Idahosa Margaret Benson-Idahosa, the Archbishop of the Church of God International, and wife of late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, is arguably the first female Pentecostal Bishop of a large ministry in Africa. Her ministry cuts across many countries in the world.

Armed with the vision to take the gospel to as many as possible, she has demonstrated a powerful love for children, the amazing urge to reach out to women to enable them discover their rich potentials in Christ, as well as ensured the provision of of free medical services to rural dwellers.

Evangelist Evelyn Joshua Powerful preacher, wonderful counsellor and a pillar of support

for one of Nigeria’s most popular clerics, Evangelist Evelyn Joshua is the wife of the Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua. She is known for her moving ministrations, exemplary modest dressing and humility and is a model for keeping a united homefront.

Bimbo Odukoya Still affecting lives positively, even after over ten years after her death in December 2005, Pastor (Mrs) Bimbo Oduloya was the Co-Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, situated in Lagos, Nigeria and wife of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the Senior Pastor of the church. Among other leadership positions, she was the President of Single & Married ministry, producers of the international weekly television programme, “Single & Married,” which was popular among many single and married people and remains a force to reckon with in terms of tips for relationships and marriages built on the foundation of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Nike Adeyemi Married to Pastor Sam Adeyemi, the Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Pastor Nike Adeyemi is the Deputy Senior Pastor at Daystar Christian Centre, and is popular for her inspiring ministrations, especially as regards discovering purpose in Christ. She has a soft spot for family, enterprise and education and is at the forefront of building responsible families and ensuring positive development in society. She also champions an organisation dedicated to empowering individuals through seminars, vocational skills, rehabilitation programmes, among others.

Funke Felix Adejumo Married to Bishop Felix Adejumo, the President of Agape Christian Ministries, Reverend (Mrs) Funke Felix Adejumo is passionate about making worldwide impact through reaching out to those in need, as she provides not just physical relief but spiritual relief as well, evident in her biblical messages. Powerful orator and preacher, she is popularly known for her annual International Outreach known as “Mothers Summit” and is an author of over fifty books.

Funke Felix Adejumo

Abiola Omobude

Margaret Idahosa

Foluke Adeboye

Bimbo Odukoya

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Sunday Tribune

I am prepared for greater persecution, says cleric accused of impregnating 2 sisters in Lagos Olalekan Olabulo-Lagos

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OLLOWING media reports that 47-year-old Prophet Oluwaseyi Idowu, the General Overseer of the Victorious Sacred Solemn Healing and Deliverance Ministry, Meiran, Lagos State, impregnated two sisters, the cleric and members of the church are still in shock and have continued to search for answers to the question on who was responsible for the attack on the cleric.

The prophet was accused by a national newspaper, (not Sunday Tribune) of impregnating two sisters, including a virgin and trying to sell the home of their father.

The controversy over the allegation has thrown Abule and Meiran communities in Lagos into a frantic search for the authenticity of the allegations against the cleric.

The father of the acclaimed sisters, who did not want his name in print, absolved the cleric of the allegations levelled against him.

The father of the ladies practically described the allegations as a figment of the imagination of some people, who he claimed were not comfortable with the relationship between him and Prophet Idowu.

He said: “I don’t want to mention my name since it was not mentioned in the media report. What I want to say is that the report is totally false,” noting that the man that was accused of planning to sell his house was not in possession of any of the building’s documents.

“My documents are with me; I even have the man’s house documents with me. I don’t have any problem with him and I don’t know why they published that

story,” the man said.

Their mother, who pleaded anonymity, also denied the allegations against the cleric, stating that “My brother, the entire story is false. The man did not impregnate my two daughters. It is true that the prophet is married to one of my daughters and they have been married for over three years and they have two children already. It is not an issue of impregnating her.”

Prophet Idowu described the allegation as one of the trials and tribulations of genuine men of God and urged those who have anything against him to always seek the truth.

Pastor Idowu, going down memory lane, said that he met his in-laws about six years ago when the mother had a spiritual attack.

“The Lord used me to heal that spiritual attack and we became very close since then.They became members of my church and everything was going on well until about four or five years ago. Then at a time, our church around Agege was destroyed by flood and the father of the two girls gave us the go-ahead to use his house in Abule Egba, pending the time that we would get a new place.”

On the allegations that he impregnated two sisters, the cleric said “it is true that I am married to the younger of the two sisters and she is 25 years old now and not 20 as reported in the paper. I am married to the lady in question and she has been living with me for over three years. We even have two children. One is three years old, while the other is about eight months old,” he stated.

The cleric, who claimed to be baffled by the motive behind the media report, said that he is now preparing for greater persecution in his ministry.

Prophet Oluwaseyi said: “I was totally disappointed with the report and I would have taken it up but for the people who prevailed on me. How can you accuse somebody of such an offence and you did not get his side of the story?”

African Church set to name first archbishop

By Seyi Sokoya IN its quest to group its dioceses into provinces for easy administration, the African Church has concluded plans to inaugurate the Ibadan province as well as name Right Reverend Julius Olayinka Abbe as the first archbishop of the province.

Dignitaries from all walks of life, church authorities and members at large, especially from Oyo, Osun and Kwara are expected to grace the event on April 2 at the Ebenezer Cathedral African Church, Anfani, Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to the church’s provost, Very Reverend Samuel Oguntuyi, at a press briefing held at the church premises last week, the church is hopeful that the province, upon inauguration, will be empowered as a partner in progress with the state governments of Oyo, Osun and Kwara in the bid to eradicate crime and unemployment in the society as well as inculcate moral values in youths.

“Some dioceses that were offshoots of the Ibadan diocese will form the current Ibadan Province. The six dioceses include: Ibadan, Ikirun, Kwara, Ilorin, Ife/Osogbo and Ijesa,” Oguntuyi added.

The inauguration of the province and enthronement of the new archbishop will be presided over by the Primate of the African Church, Dr Emmanuel Udofia Udofia will be assisted by the honourable lay president of the African Church, Evangelist Olubukunola Okunowo and other ministers of God.

From left, Bishop, Ijesa diocese, Right Reverend Ezekiel Oduleke; Most Reverend Julius Abbe and the Provost of the Ebenezer Cathedral, Ibadan Hall of the African Church of Nigeria, Very Reverend Samuel Oguntuyi, during the press briefing announcing the inauguration of the Ibadan Povince and the enthronement of Abbe, as archbishop, held in Ibadan, recently.

Christian values must reflect on the inside as well as the outside —Adeboye

By Rita Okonoboh

WIFE of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor (Mrs) Foluke Adeboye, has stated that Christians must reflect Christ not just with their inner selves, but also on the outside as well.

This was contained in an ad-

dress given at the Redeemer’s Day, an event held at Redeemer’s Primary School, Covenant Sanctuary, Oluyole, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday, delivered by special guest at the event, Mrs Bukola Ezeamaka.

In the address with the theme, “Christian Adornment,” Christians were urged to be Christ-like in attributes

and actions which should not only reflect in inner values, but also on the outside in dressing, speech and actions.

Mrs Ezeamaka, who encouraged parents to ensure that children exhibit Christ-like attitudes in their dressing and actions, especially under strict parental supervision, noted that “Christians should exhibit

patience, kindness, love, selfcontrol and gentleness and these traits of the Holy Spirit must reflect not just on the inside but as outward adornments as well.”

The event also featured children performances such as cultural display, drama, Bible reading, among others.

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Sunday Tribune

Methodist Church tasks Nigerians on spiritual development

By Remi Anifowose

A

S the Methodist Cathedral, Agbeni, Ibadan, Oyo State, plays host to the 54th annual Synod of the Methodist Church Nigeria, the archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, Most Reverend Kehinde Stephen, has reiterated the need for the spiritual, physical, financial and infrastructural growth of the church, particularly in terms of numbers, just as he charged government at all levels to emphasise local community development.

Archbishop Stephen, who made this known in his address at the opening ceremony of the synod last week, said the emphasis on church growth seemed to have been neglected, submitting that the church ceased to exist where growth in terms of people did not take place.

He encouraged Christians to maintain their relationship with God and with their fellow believers.

Speaking on the theme of the synod: “Chosen To Bear Fruit (John 15:16B),” the archbishop reminded Christians of their assigned

responsibilities and commitment to fruit bearing, saying Christians must stay firmly connected to God in daily communication and not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

According to Archbishop Stephen, “The economy as at today is barely able to

support the needs of millions of Nigerians, who are always at the receiving end.

In most states of the federation, workers’ salaries are in arrears for several months with no hope as to when payments will be made.

“Some state governors

simply blame this on dwindling oil revenue without linking this to reckless spending before and during the last elections. Some are even advocating a reduction of the minimum wage.

There is absolutely no justifiable reason to support this.’’

He suggested that, as a way of cushioning the effect of the economic downturn on the masses, each local government area must be empowered to impact its immediate local environment.

Declaring the ceremony open, Governor Abiola

Ajimobi of Oyo State, represented by the Head of Service, Mr Soji Eniade, acknowledged that the theme of the synod was quite apt and relevant to the ongoing agenda of the Federal Government towards the entrenchment of good governance in Nigeria.

Prophet wants Buhari to set aside ‘spiritual sanitation day’ for Nigeria Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti THE General Overseer of Word Bibile Church, Prophet Julius Kumoluyi, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to set aside a day of prayer to seek divine intervention in the

affairs of the country.

Prophet Kumoluyi, who addressed newsmen in Igbara-Odo in Ekiti State, said such day, which would be observed like the environmental sanitation day, would be “a dedicated day for Christians to go to

their churches to pray and for Muslims to go to their mosques to pray. Nobody should be allowed to roam about during the period as divine intervention is needed in the country’s affairs.”

Kumoluyi was in Ekiti State for the monthly three-

day early month revival programme tagged “Ipade Gbogbonise.”

He said: “It was Buhari as a military leader that began environmental sanitation day, he should replicate this in the spiritual arena by establishing spiritual

Kenyan cleric accuses Nigerian churches of focussing on materialism Shola Adekola-Lagos A Kenyan cleric, Prophet (Dr) David Owuor, has called on Nigerian churches to eschew teachings based on materialism, ostentatious living and sin, but embrace repentance as they prepare for the end time .

Owuor, who spoke to journalists at the international wing of the Murtala

Muhammed Airport, Lagos State, on arrival to the country from Kenya, said he had brought the message of repentance to Nigeria, especially churches in Lagos to pursue holiness and righteous living to reflect the true mandate of God .

The cleric, who said he was in the country for a three-day programme with a message of chastisement,

dawnofanewera

the blood, the holy salvation and the gospel that is not connected to money, that we may prepare the hearts of the people and the nation for the coming of the Messiah and then everything else will follow.

“The Bible says seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will fall in place,” he said.

livingword

with Most Revd J.O. Akinfenwa Bishop of Ibadan Anglican Diocese

By Bishop David Oyedepo Call 7747546-8; or e-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

...But the labourers are few WE thank God for the opportunity to partake of the Lord’s Day in the land of the Iiving.This is the day that the Lord has made, and we should rejoice and be glad in it. Surely God has blessed all of us in various ways during the week that just ended, and another Sunday offers us an opportunity to approach God in worship with a heart of thanksgiving. May the praise of the Lord remain on our lips forever in Jesus’name.

When he was on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ went from place to place, proclaiming the good news of the .kingdom of God. He said that the gospel of the kingdom should be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations before the end shall come (Matthew 24:14).To ensure that the preaching of the Gospel continued after his ascension, he extended the task toall those who follow Him. He said, Mark 16:15 ... Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Apostle Paul further emphasized the importance of preaching in his epistle to the Romans, where he wrote in Romans 10:13-15: Romans 10:13-15 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach

encouragement and hope, said he had come to Nigeria to put an end to the “gospel of money” in Nigeria, which he said has led to a shift of focus from righteousness, repentance and holiness to materialism.

“Nigeria is a God-fearing nation, but now if they are really God-fearing, then this is the moment to return to the true gospel of cross and

sanitation day which other leaders will take a cue from.

For instance, America has Thanksgiving Day. So, nothing stops Nigeria from setting aside a day to seek divine intervention.

“We have to pray for the survival of Nigeria. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Buhari will win in the ongoing anti-corruption war and the battle against saboteurs since he is toeing the part of justice and fairness,” he said.

The cleric advocated establishment of separate court to try corrupt politicians, saying: “The essence of the separate court is to expedite the trial of those who siphon the country’s resources and ensure speedy dispensation of justice.”

the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Apostle Paul’s clear and unmistakable submission is that there can be no harvest of souls where there is no preaching of the Gospel. That is why the church mustbe earnest in the task of evangelism. That is why we must stand up against anythingand everything that hinders our freedom to preach the Gospel. In many nations of the world today, it has become difficult for Christians to freely preach the Gospel.

However, even in such societies where government is hostile or restrictive against the Gospel, Christians must retain the attitude of the early apostles who refused to bow to intimidation: Acts 4:18-20 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

In our clime, there is a worse hindrance to evangelism that we must confront - it is the pursuit of comfort. Despite the existence of freedom, many Christians avoid the discomfort associated with evangelism and missions. They stay in their air-conditioned churches all year round. The preachers seek ministry opportunities in already harvested fields instead of going “out where the sinners are.”

To be continued next week

Provoking speedy fulfilment of prophecies through kingdom advancement endeavour! (2) LAST week, we began this teaching series with the understanding that Kingdom advancement endeavour, which include soul-winning is the master key to a world of speedy fulfilment of prophecies. This is because nothing touches God’s heart like seeing souls saved. In other words,when we engage in soul-winning,we endear God to answer all our prayers speedily, and fulfilment of prophecies is no exception (John 15:16). This week, we shall be looking at the benefits that accrue to us in soul winning, which include: It empowers our access to realms of supernatural supplies: Jesus speaking to His disciples said: And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing (Luke 22:35;see also Matthew 6:31-33).

Like I humorously say, if the disciples had lacked anything, Thomas the doubter would have spoken out loud, but he didn’t. That means, when Jesus sent His disciples out for soul winning, all their needs were met supernaturally. This helps us to understand that supernatural supply is one of the blessings that accompany every committed soul winner. It is also important to know that when matters of God’s Kingdom occupy our hearts, God automatically takes over every issue of concern in our lives (1 Kings 8:1718).

It makes stars of believers: It is written:The

fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise(Proverbs 11:30).

Again, the Bible says:And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).

This implies that we don’t need any man to emerge as stars; all we need to do is align with God’s instruction of soul winning. For instance, based on scientific discovery, the moon never struggles to shine; it just aligns at a particular angle to the sun and shines without sweat. The moon does not generate any heat, yet it enjoys global reference. In the same vein, Jesus is the Sun of righteousness; when we align with His demand of soul winning, we emerge as stars without sweat or struggles. That’s what makes soul winning the master key to the supernatural advancement of the saints.

Soul winning endue believers with honour: It is written: In the multitude of people is the king’s honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince (Proverbs 14:28).

“King” in the above scripture refers to God. That means every time we bring souls into God’s Kingdom, we are honouring Him. Again the Bible says: Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith,…them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Samuel 2:30).

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Starting all over again

The agony of Kano traders who lost millions of naira The recent fire incident at Singer Market in Kano led to loss of multi-million naira worth of goods and properties. KOLA OYELERE reports on how the traders are trying to rebuild their lives.

T

HE dry season has both its good and bad side. On the one hand the weather is cool with the harmattan wind. But the dryness also helps outbreaks of fire incidents. It is on record that several markets often get burnt during this time moreso that such public places often lack the capacity to stop such tragedies even when it had happened before.

Going by the records available, no fewer than six fire disasters have occurred in the ancient city of Kano in recent times. The one that had the most devastating effects was the one that occurred at the Government Girls College, Kano. By the time the dust settled, no fewer than seven students were trapped and consumed by the inferno, while 25 others sustained various degree of injuries.

Aside that, another inferno gutted the popular Abubakar Rimi market at night with more than 200 shops razed while millions of naira in cash kept by traders in their shops were lost. Also property worth million of naira were destroyed when fire gutted some parts of the ancient Kasuwar Rimi market in Kano metropolis.

However, the recent fire incident that gutted the Singer Market where goods like rice, sugar, cement, Indomie and other food items were sold was devastating to the traders. The market, a very large one that plays host to many traders from across the country as well as neighbouring countries. Traders always troop in, in large numbers to purchase various items in large volumes. Porters at the market are as many as 7,000 in number while shops and stalls are in excess of 20,000.

The fire this time was allegedly caused by a tea vendor popularly called maishai, while other sources alleged that it was caused by cigarette fire that was left unquenched .

At the end of the day, no fewer than 200 shops and cash kept in the various shops running to over N5 million were consumed.

As a result of the disaster, many shop owners were thrown into mourning. Many of them are currently wondering how they would be able to start their businesses again. Rebuilding their shops is however their number one headache for now.

Investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed that most of the shops were not insured. A source said had it been that the shop owners were exposed to insuring their properties, it would have been easier for them to bounce back after some time as their insurance companies might have been able to pay them some amount for their losses.

Furthermore, investigation revealed that the reason the fire incidence was so devastating was that the market is not motorable, a situation that prevented the fire service personnel from easily getting into the market when an emergency call was put across to them.

When the Sunday Tribune speak to some of the traders on the latest development and how they hope to rebuild their shops and their lives, most of them responded that it is not going to be an easy task.

One of the traders, Usman Mukthar, said he lost 1,800 bags of salt, 1,200 cartons of soap and over 2,000 bags of rice.

He said he, like other traders were struggling before the fire incident.

“We were struggling, but we relied on Allah. We are disturbed and we seek for God and government intervention. For now we are surviving based on the support from relatives,” he said.

He noted that most of the traders are now trying to revive their businesses with goods that survived the inferno. “I am appealing to government and philanthropists to come to our aid to rebuild our shops,” he added.

In his own reaction, another trader, Alhaji Umar Dahiru said: “we are in a very tight situation; this place and these shops are the place where we earn our living.

Some of us cannot sleep again because of the trauma we were passing through after the ugly incidence. Our families are suffering, our children can not go to schools, in fact we are in a fix.”

He then called on the authorities to address the issue of make shift shops, “because when the fire occurred it was not easy for fire fighters to have a free and smooth access into the market,” noting that “we could have recorded less damage had it been those makeshift shops were not erected.

“I lost goods worth over N6.5 million in my shops, it was painful , but I solely rely on God and urge government at all levels to intervene in relieving our pains.

“To rebuild the shops is not easy but what can we do for now? We can only get some materials to put up temporary shops.”

However, Alhaji Hassan Tahir Yaro, vice president, Kano State Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture, bared his mind on the incident.

“It was very, very unfortunate; people are in shock, we have lost billions of naira. This loss was not only to Kano people but to neighbouring states and countries where a lot of people rely on the Singer Market.

“I hope the state government and the federal government will intervene. As we have heard, Mr. President and Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, have expressed their concerns. We need to commence immediate rebuilding and

empowering people who have lost property worth million of naira.”

However, disturbed by the incidence, the Kano State government has inaugurated a 12-man commission of inquiry.

Inaugurating the commission at the Government House last Monday, Governor Ganduje said the commission will look into the immediate and remote causes of the fire as well as ways to avert recurrence of fire outbreaks in markets across the state.

He added that the commission is also saddled with the responsibility of assessing the extent of damage done to infrastructure and property as well as the affected victims.

He lamented that in the past, the state had witnessed several fire disasters in which properties and lives were lost in markets and boarding schools fire outbreaks, noting that such times, people were bothered about the loss rather than the reasons for the frequent outbreak.

He therefore charged the commission to do a thorough job and to submit its report within six weeks. He also appealed to the people to volunteer information that would lead to unraveling the causes of the fire outbreaks.

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review

13 March, 2016

The Radiance of Excellence At Ikenne, where some went to reconnect Her initials H.I.D hid not that which she is “A jewel of inestimable value”her husband said To others, HID is a lid that completed the leader A feeder of minds in the quiet of her home A bone of his side as he decided A fine maker of homes where peace resided and no political acolyte ever dis-regarded her body language spoke in an age of plenty words that filled no basket She was no mother-hen nor was she a hen without mothers At Ikenne where some went to reconnect Political boys went and returned as men Men of politics went and came back as timbers.

Did military boys visit Ikenne in their days of disconnect? (c) Kole Odutola 20th September 2015

Title: In the Radiance of the Sage: The Life and Times of HID Awolowo (302 pages) Publisher: African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc Author: Dr Wale Adebanwi Reviewer: Dr. Kole Odutola

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HERE is no need seeking for a response to the last line of an attempt at capturing the essence of a woman of many parts. The poem above has nothing to do with the outstanding biographical book by Dr. Wale Adebanwi. The poem is simply a work of imagination which follows the sounds of words in the construction of meaning. Whereas the biography of HID Awolowo as presented follows reality as it shapes a narrative in the meaning of a constructive life. Though Ikenne is home and in its soil is where the placenta of Miss Hannah IdowuDideolu was buried and to that city her life, times, and eventual demise revolves; places like Ibadan, Ikeja, and Apapa also feature in this story of many hills.

The book of nine chapters (excluding the epilogue and prologue) opens when the subject is a grown woman and the following chapter presents her as a woman growing up in different cities. As you well know, most cities are confluences of history, politics, commerce, religion and other concerns of life that help (re)shape the lives of natives and residents who call the place home. To really know a person or a collective, a researcher must open the innards of the various spaces and places that gave birth to, and nurtured the person and the group she identifies with. This preposition is not too far from DmitiriKalugin’s injunction that “[a] particular challenge for the poetics of biography is the peculiar character of the constitution of the biographical subject. It evolves through the interaction between textual strategies and the realm of social facts such as the workings of institutions, models of behavior, notions of success and recognition, etc.” None of these elements as enunciated by Kalugin is absent in In the Radiance of the Sage.

Like a deft surgeon Dr. Adebanwi dissects HID’s life and stitches the parts together neatly. What a life in its many dimensions and manifestations. The reader should be patient and not ask where the genesis of the story is because the end is told in the beginning and the revelation of how the pieces became ‘one whole’ finds its rhythm eventually. This is a book into which other books are made to empty their content. To be sure that this is not the first attempt at capturing the contours and controversies that surround the lives of members of the Awolowo family, Adebanwi sought out TolaAdeniyi’s authorized biography and consulted biographies of other figures involved in HID’s life. The only book I am not sure the author consulted is Kole Omotosho’sJust Before Dawn; a book that throws a little light on the saga of Coca-Cola distributorship between Mrs. Awolowo and Mrs.Akintola. Adebanwi can be excused for not including this book which the author termed “faction”.

As if to assist readers easily navigate the twists and turns of this book, Adebanwi includes epigrams (which are “brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statements”) as leads in all the chapters. The knowledge nationalist in Adebanwi makes his choice of sources of these epigrams so diversified he would remain the envy of most scholars based outside Nigeria. There are a total of 15 epigrams; of which about eight are drawn from the works of Africans or of African descent. This may be a minor detail to most people but for me as a media studies scholar, it goes to show a great sensitivity to knowledge produced by people of color. It goes to say that voices encoded into texts can find space(s) in scholarly works. If you doubt that assertion please content-analyze any book or article written by Africans in the diaspora.

The book takes a personal turn for me as the skillful narrator paddles to the fourth chapter. There is something in the chapter that tells a part of my story by its absence. As the name of Moses Awolesi makes a showing; I am reminded thatinjustice done to a certain Prince Odutola Ogunajo (my grand-father) who I was told was announced as the Akarigbo in the morning but was denied the opportunity of ascending the throne of his forebears because he was not as well-read as Moses Awolesi. The truth of this story is yet to be fully documented and made a part of the history of Sagamu people. I have no documentary evidence but I can still see in my mind’s eye the day the Akarigbo visited our newly built family house in Suru-lere, Lagos, Nigeria for a sort of reconciliation. Till today, no one has fully explained what really happened.

How would I have known that my story is part of HID’s story? The search for the truth about Baba Agba (alias Baba Majiyan) must grow forth from this review.

Let us leave the personal aside so as to allow the main protagonists in the story re-tell their version of what we know or think we know about the man Awo. In public, PaAwo was perceived as an inflexible or ridged personality that would not bend to the wishes of others but if accounts in in Chapter 4 of this book is to be believed and I see why not, he is portrayedvery differently. According to the narrative, one of thegrand-children averred that “We often remarked that, contrary to the erroneous talk of Papa being unforgiving, he was in fact very forgiving; the only crime we thought he would find unforgiving was one committed against his wife!” (p. 76). Could this be a case of separation of the private from the public spheres?

Still on the matter of public sphere where else can one encounter a vibrant public sphere if not on the pages of newspapers? In Nigeria, the life span of an average newspaper, especially those tied to owners who are interested in politics, is less than 20 years. The long-life of HID Awolowo appears to have also bestowed a measure of longevity on the Tribune newspapers. Should you be

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interested in the humble beginnings of the paper; chapter 4 is the place to go. Chapter 5 picks up from where the story of the life of travails in politics begins and gives a fuller treatment to the banishment, to the pains and miraculous victory of the couple.

Just as you expect a change in the tone of the narration, Chapter 6 dips into more tragedy. It is aptly titled “death in the dawn”. Here, Adebanwi tells a mother’s story through a harvest of deaths. The reader is not spared the unpleasantdetails or the gripping suspense of how the news grew feet and teeth to bite deep into the flesh of the living. Even a heart of stone would surely be moved if not to tears but definitely into empathy for these endless streams of mis-fortunes.

Efforts to get Awo out of prison, the set-up that never was (great piece for a Nollywood movie this one), his release from prison and the details of how he ended up in Gowon’s government are the nuggets in Chapter 7. The chapter did not end with wedding bells but those wielding cudgels that could divorce a man from earth. It would not be surprising if a reader mutters what a life under his or her breath?

As the ship of the story anchors on the eighth chapter,Awo’s new life in Gowon’s administration fills not a few pages but it is made to commingle with HID’s life as a big-time trader and owner of businesses. As you read about trading you also get to read about fending for grand-children and how their grand-mother’s strict “Ijẹbuness” shaped theirs. As it is usual in some of the chapters; accounts of tragedies or near fatalities seem to appear before a chapter ends. One may be forced to call these sprinkles of tragedies.

Chapter 8 had its own dose of such an account. Should you ever want a counter narrative to the text, please fix your gaze on the many pictures generously used in the book.

The images do speak louder than words and in some; you will appreciate the social settings in which celebrations were held in those days or the modesty of the Awolowos.

The only missing information is the identification of the photographers who froze such moments for posterity.

Life starts and life ends. The account of how PaAwo arrived at his own end occupies a tiny part of the ninth chapter. The chapter did not spare an account of the tentative death of the ‘Dideolu Specialist Hospital’ dream. It appears this is one dream that the name “stand up Lord” (as in DìdeOluwa) did not quiet live up to. How can a book about the Awolowos be written without generous pages devoted to Olusegun Obasanjo? Readers will not be disappointed because he is represented both in text and in images too.

As a Yoruba adage says “there is no way one can pound yam without it having lumps.” The lumps in this book are manifold; they come in the guise of typos that are avoidable. For instance, on page 58 instead of objectives the expression comes out as “aims and objected;” on page 168 the word laughs is omitted in the expression “For he who laughs last, laughs best.”Similarly on page 240,Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a non-profit medical practice is referred to as a non-profit media practice.

These oversights did not in any way stand in the way of textual comprehension or its flow neither should it be counted as a low for the publishers.

In conclusion, Kalugin posits that “[t]he representation of human life as text and more particularly as a narrative can exist in at least two modalities. One is encomiastic or panegyrical…[the other] as a story about a member of the socially proximate group, which is only possible within a homogeneous social space.”I am still not sure in which of the categories I will like to locate Dr Adebanwi’sadroitly-crafted biography of a womanwho lived life with its many troubles and got double of fortunes and fame till the flame went out in the same city of her birth. Hers was a life filled with memories just like the narrative woven by the writer. There are memorable lines in the many inter-meshing lives the reader is presented with. If you have a critical mind please keep your questions at bay if you really want to ‘enjoy’ this book.

Please do not ask if HID Awolowo had any faults in life, just take this book as raw data that will surely give birth to other analytical efforts in the nearest future.

As I dropped the e-version I was sent, the name John Lynn has not left my consciousness. Whatever happened to this white police officer who was used by the forces of darkness as the thorn in the lives of the Awolowo family, I may never know and you too may never know till someone presents a detailed or even lean copy of officer Lynn.

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13 March, 2016

children’sarena

Olaide Sokoya ollydesanmi@yahoo.com 0807 449 7425

Famous invention

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HE history of the ambulance begins in ancient times, with the use of carts to transport patients by force. Ambulances were first used for emergency transport in 1487 by the Spanish and civilian variants were put into operation in the 1830s.

Advances in technology throughout the 19th and 20th centuries led to the modern self-powered ambulances.

Modern ambulances are now often custom built, and as well as the specialist medical equipment now

Proverb

Ambulance

built into the ambulances, industry wide improvements in vehicle design have had an impact, including improvements in audible and visual warning equipment to help protect crews in vulnerable situations (such as at a road traffic collision), and general improvements such as ABS, which are particularly valuable for ambulances, due to the speeds reached and the weight

carried.

T h e r e have also been improvements to help safeguard the health and welfare of ambulance crews, such as the addition of patient tail lifts, ramps and winches, to cut down on the amount

Sunday Tribune

of manual handling a crew must perform.

Ambulance design is still evolving, largely due to the growing skills and role of paramedics and

other ambulance crew, which require specialist equipment.

Other factors driving improvement include the need to help protect ambulance crews from common accidents, such as traffic collisions and

A restless foot may walk into snake pit.

Meaning: If someone is busy doing nothing or is involved in what he does not know about, it is easy for him to get into trouble. rarer, but potentially catastrophic incidents such as terrorist activities.

Extracurricular activities I love to do Sunlight International Group of Schools, Gbopa, Ibadan, Oyo State

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1. Yusuf Ridwan, 10 years, Jss 2 I would like to choose fashion designing as my extracurricular activity; I love to be sewing clothes for my family. Also, I want to fully engage in it after university education due to high rate of unemployment in Nigeria now; I don’t want to search for any job after my education.

2. Muhammad Sodiq, 13 years, Jss3 I will like to go into Information Communication Technology (ICT); I had already spent five months attending computer training. I can type and design anything ranging from banners to billboards. The reason for choosing this particular vocation is because if you look around us today, you will discover that we are now in the computer age.

3. Olayiwola Sofiyat, 11 years, Ss3 I will like to engage myself in dancing. I am very passionate about dancing to the extent that when I hear someone playing music, my body will be moving. I also love dancing because my mum loves singing and when she sings, I always dance.

Moreover, my sister always tells me that any girl who can’t dance is a disgrace to her family.

4. Akinremi Rofiat, 14 years, Ss1 If I’m to choose, I will go for dancing because I love dancing a lot even though I cannot sing.

Wherever music is b e i n g played, m y

body starts to move with the tune. This I do unconsciously and my friends always encourage me to always dance and t h e y will always tell me not to waste my talent. Then I love twisting my body while dancing.

5.

Surajudeen Qudus.

16 years, Ss2 I think playing football what I love do. I

will love to play football because whenever I see all these professionals playing football and they are showing it on television.

I’m always impressed and more interested in joining theme.

6. Afolabi Ibraheem, 16 years, Ss3 The extracurricular activity. I will like to engage in is playing football. It is very lucrative and also gives room for human relations and gives opportunity for players to play even outside the country.

Whenever I see people playing football, I’m always impressed and also love watching them.

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Antelope

• ANTELOPE are herbivores. They graze on grass or munch on leaves.

• They’re smart. They follow the rains to find tender grass. Some follow zebras because the zebras eat the tough outer grasses, leaving tender, young grass for them.

• Antelopes have hooves made for their habitat. The klipslinger antelope has tiny suction-pad on its hooves to help it climb steep rocks. Antelope that live in the desert have wide, flat hooves to help them walk on the sand.

• Duikers antelopes

sometimes eat bugs or even small birds. Other antelope can stand up on their hind legs to get to the leaves in trees.

• The antelope is found in a wide range of habitats, typically woodland, forest, savannah, grassland plains, and marshes.

• After mating, female antelopes give birth to a single calf or, more rarely, twins, after a gestation period that can last up to eight months.

• A mother and her newborn calf are vulnerable to predators, and antelopes have had to evolve different strategies for surviving this period.

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news

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Army kills 2 suspected robbers, recovers 2 vehicles, ammunition Muhammadu Sabiu-Kaduna TROOPS of 1 Division Nigerian Army Kaduna State, have killed two sspected armed robbers, recovered two vehicles and ammunition from the men while robbing motorists at Panbegu Wa in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Items recovered from the suspected robbers, according to a press statement issued by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of the division, Colonel Usman Abdul, were one Toyota Hilux, a pump action rifle and N310,000.

Two of the armed bandits were killed during the operations.

Troops of the division, have also intensified its Operation “Sharan Daji” in the North-West and part of North Central States, targeted at flushing out criminals especially armed robbers and cattle rustlers that have been terrorising rural communities.

From left, former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara congratulating Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, while his wife, Adenike and son, Tobi, look on during the 60th birthday ceremony of Senator Akinlabi at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Saturday. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Glamour, as Ooni of Ife gets new wife Banji Aluko-Benin City

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T was a potpourri of culture and tradition in Benin, Edo State, on Saturday as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, married a Benin daughter, Wuraola Otiti Obanor.

The event, held at the residence of the bride’s father at Ewere Street, off Etete area of Benin, had in attendance father of the Ooni, Prince Oluropo Ogunwusi, who received the bride on behalf of the Ooni; his wife, Olori Margaret Ogunwusi; Ooni’s brother, Prince Adetunji Ogunwusi, traditional rulers from Ife kingdom, including the Asoya of Ile-Isoya, Oba Adebanjo Adedini; the Lawarikan of Apoje in Ife, Oba Ademola Ademiluyi; the Arode of Ife, Chief J.A. Awe; the Lowate of Ife, Chief Adebowale Olafare; the Waasin of Ilare Ile-Ife, Chief Olasode Akinropo and the Loko of Ife, Chief L.O. Musideeq.friends and other family members.

The Ife contingent was received by Williams Obanor, who gave out his daughter; the Esogban of

Benin, Chief David Edebiri and other family members of the bride, including Mr John Obayuwana, Mr Oghogho Obayuwana and others.

The hallmark of the event was the handing over of the bride by her father to Ooni’s father after the traditional seven counts, after which the bride sat on the laps of her new father-in-law.

Traditional dancers, drummers from Ife and Benin displayed their artistry, adding colour and spectacle to the event.

In his remark, the bride’s father said the family would present their daughter a local mortar, broom, pots and at least a box of clothes as she departs for the Ife palace.

“I feel very happy. When

REC alleges snatching of result sheet in A/Ibom re-run •As election records low voter turnout THE Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Gabriel Ada, has alleged that suspected thugs snatched result sheets from electoral officers in Saturday’s council poll in the state, just as the rerun elections, held in four state constituencies in Akwa Ibom, witnessed a low turnout of voters.

The rerun in Etinan, Ibesikpo/Asutan, Ikot Ekpene/ Obot Akara and Oron constituencies was ordered by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, in its judgment on appeals stemming from 2015 election petitions.

Ada told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibesikpo while monitoring the election that the incident took place in one of the polling units in Obot Akara.

According to him, suspected thugs in Obot Akara beat up an electoral officer and took away the result sheet for the polling unit.

“We are still having pockets of violence in one or two places in Obot Akara, but I think the security presence is good enough.

“In one of my polling units in Obot Akara, a staff members was beaten and the

Police foil plan to rob bank in Bayelsa Austin Ebipade-Yenagoa THE Bayelsa State Police Command on Saturday foiled attempt by gunmen to rob a commercial bank in Amassoma community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

The suspected gunmen, it was learnt, stormed the community that hosts the state owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma in three double 75 horsepower speedboats and invaded the police station in the area.

It was gathered that the gunmen stormed the police station with dynamite and other explosives; and engaged the police on duty

you get a good thing in life, you must be grateful to God because this is the work of God. I never thought I would become very close to the Ooni of Ife. Now that it has happened, I feel grateful to God. I wish her a happy married life,” he said.

A reception was later held at Edo Hotels in Benin.

in a shoot-out, and with their superior gunfire, they overpowered the police and advanced to the bank premises which was close to the station.

It was gathered that the attack on the station was to forestall any resistance from the police on duty at the station.

The police, it was learnt reinforced and engaged the gunmen in another battle and overpowered the gunmen, as they (the gunmen) retreated and escaped through the waterways.

The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat, confirmed the attack at the bank, and the damaged ATM machines,

as well as failed attempt to gain entry into the banking hall.

The statement reads: On the 12 March, 2016, at about 0035hrs, unknown gunmen in three speedboats invaded Amassoma Police Division.

Shortly afterwards, the hoodlums attacked the bank, damaged the ATM machines and attempted to enter the bank, but were repelled by a reinforced unit of policemen.

No life was lost and money was not stolen. Efforts have been intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects, while investigation is ongoing.

result sheet was collected,’’ Ada said.

He disclosed that security personnel were adequately deployed for the re-run election and that their presence had accounted for relative peace during the exercise.

“Before this time, we had a lot of interactive meetings with political stakeholders where they all resolved that the election will be peaceful,’’ he said.

Ada restated the commission’s commitment to free, fair and credible rerun, adding that most polling centres received voting materials quite early.

As of 9.30 a.m., less than 30 voters were seen on the queue, out the 400 voters registered to cast their ballot at Methodist Secondary School, Nto Ndang, in Obot Akara Local Government Area.

At the polling centre of Abia Akpo, Unit 6, Ward 2, in Obot/Akara Local Government Area, the voter turnout was also unimpressive, with less than 40 voters, out of 411 registered voters, on the queue as of 10.30 a.m.

The Presiding Officer, Miss Abioye Abiola, said that the election materials arrived late at the polling centre, adding that voter accreditation could, therefore, not commence on time.

Tanker driver killed, 9 tankers missing in Kaduna, union alleges Muhammad Sabiu-Kaduna THE Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, Kaduna unit, Comrade Musa Dan’azumi, has said that one of the drivers of the unit has been killed while nine trucks carrying Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), have also been missing following incessant attack on along the Buruku/ Birnin Gwari highway in Kaduna State in the last few weeks.

He made this known in an interview in Kaduna at the weekend.

The unit’s members have become target of attacks by armed bandits who usually barricade the Buruku/Birnin Gwari highway, beat their drivers and take their trucks.

“This new method by these hoodlums is disturbing and causing us sleepless nights,” he said.

According to him, the leadership of PTD had lodged a report to the police, adding that “ the commissioner of police has been very co-operating. “Recently, we held a meeting with the CP and he assured me that the perpetrators would be apprehended.”

Let’s join hands to support our local entrepreneurs —Saraki SENATE President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has restated his call that Nigeria can only grow her economy by patronising made-in-Nigeria products.

Saraki spoke when the Chief Executive Officer of Adic Designs Limited, Mr. Adiele Ekeke, presented to him 29 locally made fabrics which the Senate President ordered when he inspected the stalls of participants in the Made in Aba Trade Fair held in Abuja recently.

The Senate President, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, said he was happy that the Public Procurement Act was in the process of being amended to encourage Nigerian industries through the purchase of locally produced goods.

Don’t lose hope in Buhari’s administration, lawmaker urges Nigerians Hakeem Gbadamosi-Akure

THE lawmaker representing Ondo Central Senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, has called on Nigerians to be patient and not to lose hope in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Alasoadura, who stated this after being honoured as 2015 Yoruba Man of the year by Omoluabi Leadership Reporters, said the economic hardship being experienced by the people would soon be a thing of the past.

He noted that it was too early for Nigerians to lose hope in the present administration, urging them to be patient, saying there would be light at the end of the tunnel.

According to him, “Rome was not built in a day. As long as Buhari is not a magician, Nigerians should not be expecting miracle. The country will soon be ranked among the best nations in the world.”

He lamented that things had gone so bad with the nation before the APC took over.

The lawmaker assured Nigerians that the Presidency and the Senate were working hard to make life meaningful for them.

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13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Navy hands over hijacked ship to owners in Lagos

From left, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Eye Bank or restoring sight in Nigeria, Dr. Seinde Akinsete; President, Metropolitan Club and former Secretary-General, Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Eye Bank Ambassador and Nollywood Actress, Mrs. Dakore Akande at a special breakfast to assist blind Nigerians restore their sight held at Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

One dead in Lagos auto accident Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos

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NE person was killed in a road accident that occurred at the Otedola Bridge outward toll gate area of Lagos State, on Saturday.

The accident, which, according to information gathered, occurred at about 7:15am, involved a blue coloured Hilux truck with registration number FST 356 XS and a truck with registration FKJ 519 CF. According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the cause of the accident could be attributed to excessive speeding of some of the drivers, which eventually led to one of the vehicles eventually losing control and ramming into another.

Giving explanation on how the accident occurred, the Sector Commander, Zone 2, FRSC, Lagos State, Nseobong Akpabio, said, “a truck carrying container, descending from the bridge from the Mobil Filling Station to-

wards Otedola Bridge had a brake failure and crashed into vehicles, one of which was the pick-up that was closely in front of the truck.

“According to reports from the hospital and the Lagos State Emergency Centre in Ojota, one person

caused by brake failure.

He noted, however, that the Otedola Bridge area had been identified to be accident-prone and warned motorists using the road to always ensure ample distance between them and other vehicles.

Sokoto electoral commission suspends LG polls in Gudu As Tambuwal lauds voter turnout

THE Sokoto State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) has announced the suspension of local council election in Gudu Local Government Area of the state.

Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, announced the suspension at a news briefing in Sokoto on Saturday.

“The action followed the repetition of the logos of some of the political parties, while those of others were missing.

“We could not discover

Robbery suspect on military’s wanted list arrested in Niger A 40-year-old armed robbery kingpin on the wanted list of the military in Zamfara and Sokoto states has been arrested by security agents in Niger State.

The man, identified as Liman Muhammad, was arrested in Keteringi village of Bida Local Government Area of the state, after being on the run for a year.

Mr Iliyasu Bawa, Senior Special Assistant to Niger State governor on Security, told the News Agency of

was confirmed dead while others were injured,” he added.

He added that the FRSC officials had commenced further investigation into the cause of the accident as they would not base their conclusion only on the driver’s claim that it was

Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna that the suspect had evaded arrest in the two states.

Bawa added that the arrest was through a joint effort between the security men and the Miyetti Allah Kautal-Hore, the umbrella body of Fulanis in the country.

The governor’s aide disclosed that information about the suspect’s whereabouts was released to security agents by a woman.

the mistakes until when the branded ballot papers were opened today. ‘’ We could not open them earlier as the presence of all the security agencies and the political parties was required before opening them,’’ Abubakar explained.

The chairman attributed the mistake to “printer’s devil,” assuring that it was not deliberate.

Abubakar said that a new date for fresh polls in the local government would be announced later.

Meanwhile, Governor Aminu Tambawal of Sokoto State has expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters at the local government elections held across the state.

Tambuwal made the comment, while speaking with journalists at Kofar Ajiya polling unit, shortly after casting his vote.

He said that the state government had provided a level playing ground for the voters to elect their leaders in a peaceful atmosphere.

THE Nigerian Navy in Lagos State on Saturday, handed over to the owners, an oil tanker it rescued from pirates in February.

At the handing over ceremony, Commodore Abraham Adaji, the Commanding Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, said the six pirates arrested in connection with the hijack would be prosecuted after investigations. “‘The suspects will be prosecuted accordingly and the ship owners had undertaken to bring crew members to testify if they are required in the course of investigation.

“The release of the vessel did not signify an end to the prosecution of the pirates that are at present under investigation,” he said.

Adaji said international and civil police authorities had joined in the investigation since the hijacked oil tanker was rescued on February 22.

He added: “We have come to a point that we could release the vessel and its crew to proceed with their businesses.

“We are gathered to witness the formal handing over of MT Maximus to the owner,” he said.

UNICAL honours Duke, ItaGiwa with doctorate degrees Anthony Ubong - Calabar THE University of Calabar, Cross River State has awarded former Cross River State governor, Mr Donald Duke, as well as former Senator representing the Southern senatorial district of the state, Florence ItaGiwa with Doctorate of Law and Political Science respectively.

At the 29th convocation ceremony of the institution which took place on Saturday, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Zana Akpagu, said the award was in recognition of their services to the development of the country.

Akpagu, who said that the institution was graduating a total of 7, 222 graduands which included 4,686 first degrees, 922 higher degrees and 142 diplomas, disclosed that, the university for the first time was graduating 12 First Class graduands in a session.

“The award of Doctor of Law that we’re bestowing on Mr. Donald Duke and Doctor of Political Science on Princess Florence Ita-Giwa is recognition of their selfless service which represent ‘service to humanity’, the motto of the university,” he said.

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Nigerians will be shocked if I reveal how much Wike has stolen —Amaechi He is monstrously corrupt, needs psychiatric test —Wike DapoFalade-PortHarcourt

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HE war of attrition between Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his predecessor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, continued on Saturday.

The duo, among several others, accused each other of massive corruption and also implicated themselves in an alleged plan to cause violent crisis in the legislative rerun election scheduled to take place in the state next Saturday.

Throwing the first salvo, former Governor Amaechi, while speaking on a radio programme, monitored in Port Harcourt, alleged that Wike had so far received above N50 billion but his administration had nothing to show for it.

He further said the people of the state, nay Nigerians, would be shocked if he should reveal how much Wike allegedly stole, both as a former minister and as the state governor.

The former governor also accused his successor of planning to kill people on the day of the rerun election, but said Wike would be overwhelmed by the heavy security that would be on ground on the day.

But, Governor Wike fired back as he described his former boss as a psychiatric person and a “monstrously corrupt” public officer who would account for all the monies he allegedly stole when he was the governor.

Speaking at the PDP Rivers West Senatorial District Campaign rally at Ahoada, also, on Saturday, Wike said Amaechi was “a failed governor who needed urgent psychiatric evaluation and treatment.”

The governor also declared that Amaechi would face prosecution for corruption after the litigation against his indictment by the Justice George Omerejiled Judicial Commission of Inquiry over the alleged embezzlement of state funds.

Amaechi, in his comments against the Wike-led administration, said he had never critised or abused his own predecessor, Dr Peter Odili, having benefited from him (Odili).

“I benefited from Dr Peter Odili and I never criticised or abused him because he is my benefactor. But Nyesom Wike abuses me. There will continue to be a recurring decimal until Wike leaves.

“Wike has collected over

Wike 50 billion. He should show how he spent the money. Wike has abandoned schools built during my administration. Students now pay school fees.

“Some of our graduates became doctors. Some of those who benefited from the overseas scholarship in Canada became Canadian citizens.

“He has abandoned the hospitals. Wike is not a governor; he is only there to take money. Go to the [Federal] Ministry of Education.

I was shown documents there. If you see the amount Wike has stolen, you will be shocked.

“Wike should tell us what he has done. By this time, when I was the governor, I was commissioning roads.

Some of the roads that Wike is working on now were awarded to him when I was the governor.

“I did not enrol Rivers State students for the [National Examination Council] NECO because it is sub-standard. Let Nyesom Wike tell us one thing he has done. He is so scared of me.

“Wike did not come in as an Ikwerre governor; he came in because he was so desperate. The Ikwerres can’t be the sole expert in governance.

“Wike came so desperate as governor,” he said.

Speaking on the legislative rerun election, the former

Amaechi governor said the nation’s security apparatus would be deployed to stop whatever was the plan of Wike to disrupt the election.

Daring the governor, the Minister of Transportation said, “Marine Police and the Nigerian Navy will protect the national waterways, the areas within the purview of my ministry.

“I am daring Wike. Unlike the last election where he was writing results, that day (next Saturday), you will see security in Rivers that Wike will worry about security.

“With Dakuku Peterside becoming the Director General of NIMASA, we will use both the police and the army to police the waterways to Kula and to Bonny.

Our waterways must be clear to allow investment.

“I want to assure the people of the state that the waterways will be protected on the day of election.

“I am the leader of APC in the state and I am here to see how Wike will shoot all of us. We want him to carry out his threat.

“On the day of the election, let everybody come out and vote. I will dare Wike and his boys to come out with guns.

“As of the time I left office, I was 75 per cent popular.

I am not worried now; the person that is worried is Wike.

“That day (election day), you will see security and

you will be surprised. I am going from village to village from tomorrow [today] to beg people to come out and vote,” he said.

Wike, however, fired back, as he said only a man with psychiatric disorder would compare “his failed eight years in office to just eight months of the new administration.”

He said the former governor failed in his eight years as the state chief executive, adding that “Amaechi lacks proper parental upbringing, hence his desperation in the political arena.”

The governor said the APC refused to campaign for the rerun election because its leaders and members in the state were allegedly relying on the military and security forces to rig.

“He is a psychiatric patient who was at the radio station, abusing people who are old enough to be his fathers/mothers simply because his party lost at the Supreme Court.

“We will defeat Amaechi again and again. No matter the (security agencies) deployed to Rivers State, PDP will win all the seats,” he said.

The governor added that the confession by Amaechi that the military had been handed over to him notwithstanding, the alleged plot to rig the election would fail woefully “as the Rivers people will defend

their mandate.”

He also alleged that, as part of the plot, “Amaechi’s personal friend, Mr Tosin Ajayi, was posted to Rivers State as DSS director with the evil objective of creating the environment for rigging.

“Only yesterday (Friday), I intercepted the communication of the DSS director and the Brigade Commander where they were planning on the ways of rigging the election, alongside Amaechi. That plot has failed.

“Amaechi lacks sound parental upbringing. He has vindicated us when he said that he has been given the army to rig the rerun elections. I know the Chief of Army Staff very well; he should not allow a psychiatric patient to use the Army to rig.

“Is Amaechi now the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces that he talks about deploying soldiers?

Our people will rise up to defend their votes; they will make the needed sacrifices (to protect) their votes.”

He reminded the people that, on May 27, 2015, Amaechi made a statement that his (Wike) administration would not be able to pay salaries and execute projects.

He said the former governor had, however, been confounded through the execution of what he de-

scribed as pro-people projects across the state and payment of salaries and pensions.

The governor further said that, no matter the time it would take, his predecessor would face trial for allegedly stealing Rivers resources.

“If President Muhammadu Buhari visits Amaechi’s house in Asokoro, he will never allow him to come into Presidential Villa. After the case initiated by Amaechi over his indictment, he will face justice for embezzling state funds,” he added.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr Austin Tam-George, has described as shameless and irresponsible the statements made by Amaechi, in a television programme in Abuja and on a radio programme in Port Harcourt.

The former governor had accused the Rivers State government and the state Police Command of abetting and supporting criminals, and blamed both for the recent killings in some areas in the state.

Tam-George, in a statement made available to Sunday Tribune in Port Harcourt, on Saturday, said, “Throughout his rambling interviews during which he appeared mostly confused and inebriated, Mr Amaechi provided no shred of evidence to support his bizarre allegations.”

Contrary to Amaechi’s allegation, the commissioner said Governor Wike had given unprecedented financial and logistical support to the police and other security agencies in the state since he assumed office, 10 months ago.

“Within two months in office, Governor Wike released over 60 security-fitted vehicles to the police in the state. He also released over 30 vehicles to the joint security forces.

“Investigations by the Rivers State police command have shown again and again, that the killings witnessed in some areas of the state were the result of retributive attacks launched by rival cult gangs battling for supremacy.

“And in each case, the Rivers State Police Command, working with the state government, has made arrests and obtained vital intelligence from gang leaders in custody.

“There is a prosecutorial process already underway for those implicated in these criminal activities,” Tam-George said.

52

13 March, 2016

SUNDAY

Editor: Ganiyu Salman 08053789060 tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com

Continental championships:

Enyimba, Wolves, Nasarawa set for encore

By Ganiyu Salman

T

HREE cities, Port Harcourt, Warri and Abuja will be agog today as Nigerian teams battle for continental honours.

Enyimba hosts Vital’O of Burundi at its temporary home ground, the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt in the first leg, first round tie of the CAF Champions League.

The two-time African champions, Enyimba eliminated Vipers Sports Club of Uganda 2-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round, while Vital’O stopped Lioli FC of Lesotho 2-2 on aggregate.

Enyimba defender, Idris Aloma, is confident of a good outing today saying “This game offers us a big opportunity to show we are a top side that is capable of winning the African title.”

He added that “We started the season slowly last term and ended it on a high by winning the league title.

We are confident of turning things around once again.”

Also in the CAF Champions League, Warri Wolves after qualifying without kicking the ball will begin their campaign also today against Al Merreikh of Sudan, at the Warri City Stadium.

In what appears to be a setback, the Seasiders only have 14 eligible players to prosecute the encounter following the departure of some of the players registered for the competition like Gbolahan Salami and Ikechukwu Ibenegbu,

among others.

However, Wolves striker, Okikimusampa Onomuefe believes Al-Merrikh will leave Warri empty-handed.

“Al-Merrikh are good side. Warri Wolves too are equally a good side; we are coming out on Sunday (today) with a win that will

make the second-leg clash in Omdurman a mere formality.

“Our target is to score at least two or three unreplied goals right here in our backyard in Warri. We will not give the Sudanese side opportunity for an away goal, but if they manage to score

then we must increase the goal tally to four or more.

“Everybody is in high spirits at the moment and we can’t wait to take on the visitors,” Onomuefe said.

At the National Stadium, Abuja, Nasarawa United will confront Club Sportif Constantine of Algeria

in the CAF Confederation Cup. The match is billed to start at 2pm.

The Solid Miners handled by coach Kabir Suleiman Dogo advanced to the first round following a 2-1 aggregate win over AS Academie Generation Foot of Senegal.

Enyimba striker, Mfon Udoh

Nigerian league is too physical —Kuemian

By Oluwabunmi Ajayi RIVERS United striker, Guy Kuemian has said only physically strong players can survive and make headlines in the Nigerian league.

The Cote d’Ivoire player who once played in Moroccan Botola as well as the leagues in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea stated that defenders in the Nigeria Premier League are brutal, which could make a lily-

livered striker chicken out when it matters most.

“If you are not strong, physically, you cannot survive in the Nigerian league. I was shocked when I first saw a Nigerian league game. The defenders don’t hold back in their tackles and the pace is something else.

“In Morocco and the other countries I had played previously, the teams were more tactical but nowhere near as physically strong as the

National karate tourney, coaching course hold in Asaba KARATE stakeholders across Nigeria will converge on Asaba, Delta State from March 20 to 24 for the national referees/coaches’ course as well as the National Senior Open Championship.

Secretary General of the Karate Federation of Nigeria, Mr Idaye Anthony Tomo who disclosed this in Lagos, said arrangement towards having a successful coaching course and the national championship has since been concluded.

Sunday Tribune

President of the Karate Federation of Nigeria, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike said the championship is very important to both the federation and the athletes, as it would be used to select the karatekas that would represent Nigeria at the forthcoming African championship.

Ejidike urged various states and club sides alike to turn in their athletes en mass for this all important championship.

KFN has also informed that transportation, accom-

modation and feeding of athletes and officials would be the sole responsibility of states/sports councils.

Meanwhile, payment of annual affiliation fees and registration for both the course and championship have been outlined as one of the conditions for participation.

States have therefore been advised to make their registration known to the secretariat of KFN on or before March 20, 2016, which serves as the deadline for registration.

Nigerian teams. I am adapting to the Nigeria Premier League slowly and I even scored in my last game. That will give me the motivation to do even more in the days to come,” the former US Bitam of Gabon player told RUM. The former Moghreb AtleticoTetouan and Raja Casablanca of Morocco forward netted his first goal of the season in the Nigeria Premier League in a match day five fixture, which gave Rivers United a 1-0 win over Nasarawa United in the Garden City, and he savoured the moment.

“I was very happy to score that goal for Rivers United particularly as it was the winner and it came in so late in the game. The goal was important because it gave us victory which helped take us up to the fifth on the league standings. It i s not easy to play in the Nigerian league.

It is an extremely difficult league to be successful

in but I will strive to score more goals,” said Kuemian who joined Rivers United from Leones Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea.

Kuemian

Mohammed emerges Archery Sports Federation president A member of the Nigeria House Project for Rio 2016 Olympic/Paralympic Games Committee, Mohammed Baba Abdullahi has emerged the president of the Nigeria Archery Sports Federation.

He defeated Bola Orodele of the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) 13-11 in the second round of voting at the keenly contested election held last Thursday at the secretariat of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, National Stadium, Lagos.

Both candidates pulled 12 votes each out of the total 24 votes cast during the first round of the election.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Paralympic Committee, Mr Patrick Ibeh was elected as the PRO of the Archery Sports Federation.

Also, Mrs Helen Osayimwen was elected as the first vice president unopposed, as Mr Ayo Phillips of the National Institute for Sports emerged the second vice president unopposed, while Mr Olugbenga Olatunji Boluji was elected as the Secretary of the body.

Also elected was Miss Ogunkoya Florence for the post of the Treasurer, while Osaretin Emuze was elected as the Assistant Secretary of the Archery Sports Federation.

53

sport

As a member of Brazil’s 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cup winning teams, Pele became the only three-time World Cup winning player in history. It is a record that still stands today. As Pele was not allowed to keep the actual Rimet trophy, FIFA and the Mexican Government (Mexico was the host nation of the 1970 World Cup) commissioned the creation of this special, one-ofa-kind version of the Rimet trophy to present to Pele in order to commemorate his record

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Pele set to auction 2,000 of his memorabilia in UK

W

ORLD soccer legend, Pele has decided to auction off an array of his prestigious footballing memorabilia, including his one-ofa-kind Jules Rimet replica trophy designed to mark his third World Cup victory in 1970.

The items will go on be sold across three days in London, from June 7 to 9.

Other items on offer for wealthy football purists include the Brazilian’s No 10 shirt, worn sometime between 1970 and 1971, and the match ball used in his 1,000th career match.

Pele is the only person in the history of football who has won the World Cup three times, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Pele said that having donated much of his collections to the city of Santos, he had “decided to allow fans and collectors to own a piece of my history as well. I hope they treasure these artifacts and share my story with their children and generations to come.”

He said a portion of the pro-

ceeds will be donated to the Pequeno Principe children’s hospital in the Brazilian city of Curitiba.

The World Cup replica is the priciest item being auctioned, with an estimate being placed of £281,000 - £420,000.

Here is a list of the items Pele will be selling.

A brass commemorative medal presented to Pele by his Brazilian team, Santos, to honour him after the Brazil national football team won the 1958 World Cup.

Pele with a team-mate in the Brazilian national team after a game.

Pele’s iconic Brazil No 10 shirt, worn sometime, between 1970 and 1971 will also be auctioned in London.

Pele played for New York Cosmos between 1975 and 1977 and one of his shirts from his time playing in the United States will also be for sale.

Pele lifted by enthusiastic fans after one of his World Cup exploits.

The ball used in Pele’s 1000th game, a friendly between Santos and Interland in 1971.

A brass commemorative medal presented to Pele by his Brazilian team, Santos FC, to honour him after the Brazil national football team won the 1958 World Cup.

A pair of Puma brand football boots worn by Pele in the 1970s. While it is confirmed that Pele wore these boots in game action, it is unknown at what point during his tenure as a Puma endorsee that he wore these specific boots.

The white leather drible brand football used by Pele to score his 1,000th career goal in a match that pitted his Santos team against Vasco da Gama, at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 19, 1969.

54

sport

M

ARIA Sharapova says she is “determined to fight back” after testing positive for meldonium.

In a Facebook post that criticised “distorted and exaggerated” reporting, the Russian denied taking meldonium every day and missing five warnings that the drug was about to be banned.

She also criticised the tennis authorities for making the relevant information “too hard to find”.

Sharapova, 28, will be provisionally suspended from March 12 (Saturday).

The five-time Grand Slam winner, who faces a ban of

Djokovic

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Doping: I will fight back —Sharapova

up to four years, says she has been taking the drug, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) banned list on 1 January, for health reasons for the past 10 years.

However, she insisted she had only taken the heart drug “in the low doses recommended”.

Taking issue with reports that a normal course of meldonium treatment lasts only four to six weeks, she added: “The story quotes the m an ufac turer

of my medicine as saying: ‘Treatment course can be repeated twice or thrice a year. Only physicians can follow and evaluate patient’s health condition and state whether the patient should use meldonium for a longer period of time.’

“That’s exactly what I did.

I didn’t take the medicine every day.”

While Sharapova reiterated she

had “no excuses” for failing to be aware of the change in regulations, she criticised the way in which the information was communicated to players.

“The communications?

They were buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts,” she wrote.

“In order to be aware of this ‘warning’, you had to open an email with a

Sharapova

subject line having nothing to do with anti-doping, click on a webpage, enter a password, enter a username, hunt, click, hunt, click, hunt,

click, scroll and read.

“I guess some in the media can call that a warning.

I think most people would call it too hard to find.”

... She must pay for it —Djokovic MARIA Sharapova has been “very courageous” to admit her failed drugs test, but must “suffer consequences,” says world number one Novak Djokovic.

The five-time Grand Slam winner, 28, revealed last week she tested positive for meldonium in January.

“I do feel sorry [for] her, but it’s normal to accept that under these circumstances the player has to suffer certain consequences,” Djokovic said.

Earlier last week, world number two Andy Murray said Sharapova “must accept responsibility” for failing the test, while women’s world number one, Serena Williams said her rival had shown “a lot of courage”.

Former world number one Sharapova says she has been

taking the drug, which was added to the World AntiDoping Agency’s banned list on January 1, for health reasons for the past 10 years.

“As a friend, I really hope that she will find the best possible way,” world number one Djokovic added.

“I thought she was very courageous and it was very human and brave of her to go out and take the responsibility and say what has happened. She did admit that she made a mistake with her team.”

Eleven-time Grand Slamwinner, Djokovic also said too many tennis players rely on medication to feel healthy.

“I feel like in the sport in general that there is maybe a conviction with many athletes that maybe medication and certain substances can make you feel healthy or make you feel better,” he said.

55

sport

13 March, 2016

Sunday Tribune

Ighalo: Can he score today against Arsenal?

Van der Sar was unable to prevent Mohammed Bellahcen from scoring during the game on Saturday.

Van der Sar returns after 4yrs in retirement, saves penalty

Arsenal must be ruthless against Watford —Wenger As Ighalo struggles to regain scoring form

M

ANAGER Arsene Wenger has told his Arsenal stars to show more consistency as the FA Cup holders try to get their spluttering season back on track in today’s quarter-final clash against Watford.

Watford boasts Nigerian Odion Ighalo, who has remained the team’s leading scorer in the English Premier League this season with 14 goals.

He has been struggling to regain his scoring formula since January 23 when he scored in Watford’s 2-1 win over Newcastle United.

Wenger’s side host the Hornets at a time when they are languishing eight points behind leaders Leicester in the Premier League and teetering on the brink of another tame Champions League exit.

On Wednesday, Arsenal must overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League against holders, Barcelona at Camp Nou to avoid crashing out of Europe’s elite club competition.

Most Gunners supporters would admit the FA Cup represents by far the most realistic chance of silverware after winning it for the last two seasons, but Wenger refuses to rule out a

dramatic turn of fortunes both at home and abroad.

“I haven’t given up on the Premier League at all and I’ve said that many times, nor the Champions League,” Wenger said.

“We have to take care of the next minute and the next minute is an FA Cup game.

“Is it the best chance to win a trophy? It’s still far away. We must win the next game and prove that

we can show consistency again.”

Losing Aaron Ramsey to injury for the rest of the campaign would be a major blow to any renewed challenge in the league, but Wenger remains adamant that his season is not at an end.

The Wales midfielder suffered a thigh injury in Tuesday’s 4-0 FA Cup fifth round replay win at Hull just 15 minutes after coming off the bench in the second half.

MANCHESTER United legend, Edwin van der Sar made a one-off comeback on Saturday for his former club, Noordwijk FC after four years in retirement, and showed the world of football what they’ve been missing with an inspired penalty save.

With Noordwijk’s regular keeper, Mustafa Mare Zine injured and the club lacking a back-up, they asked Van der Sar to pull on his gloves one more time against Jodan Boys.

The heroics of Edwin made the fourth tier side to smile home with a 1-1 draw.

And the former Red Devils star - who is still involved at the club he played for between 1985 and 1990 - agreed after giving it a bit of thought.

After attempting to put off the spot-kick taker by pointing to his

Man City EPL title hope suffers blow A resolute Norwich City placed a significant dent in Manchester City’s Premier League title aspirations with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Manchester City enjoyed plenty of possession, but aside from a Sergio Aguero effort that was superbly saved by John Ruddy in the first half, they created precious little.

It could have been so much worse for Manuel Pellegrini’s side had Patrick Bamford’s 25-yard halfvolley that crashed against the woodwork just before the break been a fraction lower.

The Citizens are now nine points behind leaders Leicester

City, who host Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United tomorrow.

The result also jeopardised the visitors’ hopes of Champions League qualification, which would be an embarrassing scenario ahead of Pep Guardiola’s arrival as manager.

Pellegrini chose his words even more carefully than usual afterwards: “Of course I am frustrated.

We wanted three points today,” he said.

“We had good possession but couldn’t create space which is one of the things we normally do well as a team.’

“There was some sympathy for Silva. ‘I think he is playing with

some problems with his ankle but it is not a problem that doesn’t allow him to play. We are always talking to him and the doctor and he wants to play.

“He tried in different ways to play. Always one when you can not win, it is a problem of the team. It

Give Man U to Giggs —Yorke MANCHESTER United should sack Louis Van Gaal and install his assistant, Ryan Giggs as manager, according to former striker Dwight Yorke who wants to launch his own managerial career at struggling Aston Villa.

The former Trinidad and Tobago striker said changes were needed at United, with the 20-time English champions sixth in the Premier League, out of the Champions League and suffering a 0-2 loss to arch-rivals Liverpool in the Europa League last week.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about results,” Yorke was quoted as

right-hand side, the 45-year-old then dived dexterously low to his left-hand side to save the penalty.

The former Holland international was promptly mobbed by his team-mates following his crucial intervention.

The Dutch Football Association granted Van der Sar, capped 130 times for the national side, special dispensation to start the clash with Jodan Boys.

“He still thinks warmly of the club and is here regularly,” Peter Vink, technical director at Noordwijk, told Dutch publication Voetbal in de Bollenstreek.

“After some deliberation he agreed to keep goal next Saturday against Jodan Boys. We assume that it is basically only for one game.

“We are thrilled that Edwin wants to help us in this way.”

saying by Singaporean daily, The New Paper on Saturday after a promotional event in the Southeast Asian citystate.

“In the two years that he’s (Van Gaal) been there, he’s spent tons of money, brought in tons of players, and simply hasn’t got the results that he and everyone else had hoped to.

“You see a lot of young managers, Zinedine Zidane’s been given the opportunity at Real Madrid, you’ve got Luis Enrique at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola who’s coming to Manchester City, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, they’re all ex-players.”

Kelechi Iheanacho (left) beaten in an aerial contest by Norwich City’s Timm Klose.

is not just David or Kun (Aguero).

We also have wingers that must win their...”

Every time Navas tried to cross, Olsson blocked. Every time Aguero attempted to interact with Wilfried Bony or Kelechi Iheanacho, Klose intercepted.

SIDELINES NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER

NO 2,037

13 MARCH, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

The name ‘Yoruba’

I

N the past couple of days, I have been re-reading a research book that I find very interesting concerning Yoruba and Nupe histories. The title of the book is The Nupe and the Origins and Evolution of the Yoruba, c.1275-1897, and its author is a Nupe scholar named Idris Jimada, a product of the Ahmadu Belo Department of History. Out of respect, I am not commenting here on the many issues which I regard as demanding comments in this book. I am limiting myself to the following statement in it: “The name ‘Yorùbá’ was not an identity, for those who came later to be called Yorùbá, since the time of creation, or anytime before the mid-nineteenth century, as is so often misconceived nowadays”.

First, I find it strange that this brother historian (or any historian) would talk of a nation having an identifying name “since the time of creation”. Do we historians have the means, or the skill, to knowanything as they were at “the time of creation”?Is Jimada saying that he knows that hisNupe nation has been called Nupe“since the time of creation”?

More importantly, do we not know (whether we are historians or non-historians) that the question when a nation began to have a common identifying name is not of much importance? Very many nations in the world did not have common group names until modern times. Actually, most peoples of the world never gave themselves any names; many were given their names by theirneighbours – and often, the names given by the neighbours were words of abuse. Very many, probably most, nations in Black Africa were not called the names that we now call them until the time of European colonialism in the past century. Take our large Igbo nation, for instance. Some of the subgroups among the obviously one nation which we now call Igbo did not accept to be called Igbo until only decades ago. And, when did the widely scattered communities of the vast grass country of Hausalandbegin to be identified with the common name Hausa? Does that mean that the Igbo are not a nation or that the Hausa are not a nation? Absolutely not. The problem with Nigeria is that we have so horribly mismanaged and poisoned our inter-group relationships that many Nigerians have become generally inclined to despise nations that are not theirs, and to seize upon any kind of meaningless trifles to cast aspersions on nations that are not theirs.

Some people saythat the documentary

information available to us indicates that not all the subgroups of the Yoruba nation accepted the name Yoruba until the middle of the 19th century (about 150 years ago). Even if this were totally true, does it prove that the Yoruba are not one nation? No, it does not.

But, we must thank those who have been casting aspersion on the Yoruba nation over this issue of a common group name – because the end result is almost sure to be that some Yoruba scholar will someday carry out very serious research on the subject. And that will be a good thing, because it will help us to know more about Yoruba history. Note that I do not say that such research will help us to know that the Yoruba are a nation. The Yorubaare a nation

N200

The Federal Government, on Friday, apologised to Nigerians for the poor power situation in the country. Though apology is good, Nigerians, who are used to living in darkness, would want to ask the government, what next?

Mali Republic), to go and take part there in the trade with Berbers and Tuaregs from across the Sahara Desert. All these Yoruba traders came to be commonly known there as Yoruba or Yaruba. Following the beginning and spread of Islam from Arabia in the 7th century, many Arabs came to live in the Berber country and joined in the Berber trade to the Sudan, bringing Islam with them. Aindigenous Sudanese Muslim who became ascholar, Ahmed Baba, wrote a book there in 1615 and mentioned the trading people known as the Yoruba.

The name was probably common in those lands before Ahmed Baba wrote his book. It was apparently given to the Yoruba traders therein the course of the trading.

That is, it was given them by some of the

diranapata@yahoo.com

- and we know that. The Yoruba have been a nation for about 6000 years, whether they gave themselves a group name or not, and whether their neighbours called them one group name or not. The same is true of most other Nigerian nations. A group name is not the proof of nationhood.

Finally, there is, in fact, no definitive proof that the Yoruba did not have a common group name before the mid-19th century. Though during the era of the transAtlantic slave trade (16th to 19th century), the Yoruba who were taken into the trade were variously called names such as Euba (Egba), Eo (Oyo), Lukumi, Aku, Anago or Nago, etc, in the various places to which they were taken in the Americas, yet, the name Yoruba existed all that time. You would not find this name in the records of the trans-Atlantic slave trade or in the Americas, but you would find it in the interior of Africa – in the Western Sudan. From probably as early as the 5th century AD, many Yoruba had been going all the way to the Upper Niger in the Western Sudan (the country now known as

peoples who came from various directions to trade there. It is the same old worldwide story – of a people being given a name byanother people or by other peoples. Like the group names of most nations of the world, we do not know what the word “Yoruba” means. It is obviously from the language of a non-Yoruba people –Berbers, or Tuaregs, or any Western Sudanese people, or the Arabs. During my researches in Yoruba History, I have met people who have suggested that, among the Upper Niger traders, the word Yoruba probably meant “the people from the distant forest country of the south”. That is not improbable.

By and by, the name Yoruba came home from the Sudan with the traders and become common in Yorubaland itself. According to Ife and other Yoruba traditions, when Arab and Berber traders began to come directly across the Middle Niger to trade in Yorubaland from about the 8th century, the country was, for them, the home of the Yarubawa (Arabic for “Yoruba people”). Somehow, after the Oyo-Ilekingdom grew into an empire

Resignation: Oliseh to meet Reps Thursday ERSTWHILE Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh will appear before the House of Representatives committee on sports on Thursday in Abuja, to discuss his sudden resignation, reports AfricanFootball.com.

Oliseh is expected to open “a can of worms” according to insiders.

A top source at the National Assembly informed AfricanFootball.com: “Oliseh has been invited by the committee on sports. He is to give his own side of his resignation story.”

Another source said: “You know Oliseh, he will not hold back anything, he will give details of how some top officials made sure they frustrated him because they were not the ones who facilitated his appointment.

“You should expect him to shoot from the hips.”

Oliseh has already publicly tore at his former employers (the Nigeria Football Federation) for failing to support him while he was in charge of the Super Eagles.

The former Nigeria captain also com-

plained about how his contract was severally violated and has compiled his unpaid expenses and other entitlements.

NFF officials are far from amused with Oliseh’s date with the sports committee, arguing that it is a major distraction for them as they are preparing to face Egypt in crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2017 qualifiers later this month.

“They do not want a public hearing to start with, obviously they have a lot to hide,” said another source.

and became the greatest state in Yorubaland from about the late 16th century, people in some parts of the country tendedto use the name Yoruba as a sort of second subgroup name for the Oyo subgroup alone. We don’t know how that happened.

Over time, the name apparently spread to other parts of the Western Sudan as the name for the large nation inhabiting the country south of the Middle Niger. For instance, when the English explorer, Hugh Clapperton, reached Sokoto in 1826 (after traversing Yorubaland fromBadagry on the coast, visiting Oyo-Ile, and crossing the River Niger), the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Bello, talked at length with him about the people he called the Yoruba – the people of the country immediately south of the Middle Niger. He described the large amount of trade that these Yoruba people came regularly to do in his country.

Clapperton’s account of his visit to Yorubaland and to Sokotomade the name Yoruba common among European Christian missionaries and traders along the coast. Even then, when some Europeans in the freed slave colony of Freetown in Sierra Leone addressed some Yoruba freed slaves there in the 1830s as Yoruba, they answered that they were not Yoruba but Jesha or Yagba or Jebu – because, as far as they knew at that time, it was Oyo people that were usually called Yoruba. But in the years that followed, the name Yoruba rapidly became embraced among all Yoruba.

The schools which the missionaries were establishing all over Yorubaland, the books which literate Yoruba persons were writing in those years, and the translations of Christian books into the Yoruba language, all speeded up the process very greatly.

On the whole, therefore, scattered pieces of research findings and information show that the name Yoruba has a history as an early common name for the Yoruba – before the name was finally indisputably established as their common name during the developments of the 19th century. It needs to be re-emphasized that this point is not needed or important as proof of the existence of the Yoruba nation as a nation since ancient times; there is no question about the existence of the Yoruba nation from ancient times. It is important only in the debate whether that ancient Yoruba nation did have a common group name before the 19th century. And the answer to that question is, on the whole, “Yes”.

EPL results: Norwich 0 Man City 0 Bournemouth 3 Swansea 2 Stoke City 1 Southampton 2 FA Cup Everton

2 Chelsea

0

POOLS: 06, 16, 23, 28, 29, 32, 36, 41, 47, 48.

Today’s Matches: 02, 04, 11, 17, 42.

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